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lonelybrit*sigh*
Yeah, that was 'Angel', and it ended on the right note.
I think it helped that I'd had a few days to fully digest some particular plotlines. Those days also gave me the chance to try and reason my way around certain plotlines which I knew would just annoy the hell out of me.
That said, there was still a literal *headdesk* and "Oh God" moment when a certain scene hit the screen. Haven't we had enough of this already?
Okay, so plotline in a nutshell: The team all agree they're in. Then they all go about business, continuing to try and deceive Hamilton. Illyria is found alive and extremely pissed-off. Lindsey is recruited. Angel signs away his Shanshu at the request of the Black Thorn, and returns home to give Team Angel the day off. "Live this day like it's your last." So they all do just that, this includes visiting some old friends. (CONNOR!! SQUEEE!!!) Finally, they meet up, get given their assignments, and the fights commence. Angel, with a little unexpected help, disposes of Hamilton and Sebassis. Wes, sadly but unsurprisingly, is utterly outgunned when he goes up against the powerful wizard Vail, and snuffs it. Illyria kills Eddy, goes on to check on Wes, and ends up killing Vail as well. Lindsey kills some demony people and then gets killed by Lorne. Spike saves the baby from and kills the Fell Bretheren. Gunn axes the nefarious Senetor and her vampire lackeys, although he does receive what is likely to end up being a mortal wound. In the final scene, the whole gang, bar Lindsey, Lorne, and Wes, face the wrath of the Senior Partners. Which would be a dragon and what sounds like an uncountable horde of demons and general nasties. "Let's go to work." Credits. And a 'FUCK YOU!' inducing montage from the WB. *smile*
Alright, first character that pops to mind is actually Lorne. Before I say anything more, just offering a few quotes from past episodes.
All through the series we've had it drummed into us that it's all about fighting the good fight. Except, things then grew a little fuzzy as it became clear that not all the characters were agreed upon what 'The Good Fight' actually was. Was it about simply surviving? Was it about beating the bad guys? Or was it something far more personal, fighting for something inside of yourself.
This is where people like Wes and Angel differed from people like Lawson or Fred or Lorne.
The former were quite prepared to live in shades of grey, do things that might in the long term start killing them from the inside out, so long as the end result was 'worth it'. In battle, the ends did justify the means.
The latter type, as it turned out, weren't. In their eyes, the moment you started blurring the lines, the battle was already being lost, no matter what the end result.
I have to say, Lorne seriously got my respect in this episode, although I do feel so sad for him. We've watched him often make the, 'Is this what we do now?' comments, but this week he realised that, yes, it is what Angel does now. And he decided that this was not what Lorne would do, not anymore. He was prepared to do this one last task because a) it was for the family, and b) it was in the name of finally getting a swipe at the SP's. But he was not going to enter in any new battles, not on these guidelines. Once the Black Thorn were gone, he called it quits. I do believe that he will continue fighting, except this time he'll be doing it his own way. And even though he knows, understands, why Angel wanted Lindsey killed, even though he knows that Lindsey was and always would be a real threat, that death will always be on his conscience.
Spike. First time I started to tear up. When the applause started. Up until that moment I think he really thought his perfect day would be simply getting plastered and having a good bar brawl. Only then he realised that sometimes it's the smallest things that can make everything worth while. One small group scorned that poem. A century or so later, an entire roomful of people cheer and applaud. And Spike's smile said it all.
Gunn. He is most similar to Spike, I think, in that he seems a 'Live For The Moment' type of guy. Things seem most clear and grounded for him when he's fighting a bunch of vampires. At times like that, it's simple, he knows where he stands. Which could possibly be why he took so long to adjust to working at AI. It was the first time he'd had to seriously starting thinking about this thing called 'The Bigger Picture'. Up until then, he had lived in a world where there really wasn't much need for 'The Bigger Picture'. You were on the streets, simply trying to make it through to morning. But get outside that and there was a whole can of worms he had never had the time to even start opening. And at the end of 'Power Play', he had effectively been told that the SP's will never go away. The war will never be over. And he's not too sure what to make of it, other than of course he's going to keep fighting anyway.
And *then* he meets up with Anne.
Anne effectively gives Gunn a very simple answer to the 'What If It's All For Nothing' dilema. Namely: 'And?'.
For her, it really doesn't matter. She's helping these kids and nothing can take that away from her. Whether or not Gunn really believes in that principle just yet, I think it was a major comfort and strength for him to spend some time in the presence of someone who does. He effectively wound up where he started. Back to simply wanting to make sure each fight, each minute, was worth something.
Harmony. Hmm. I'm guessing the reason Angel was so lenient on her is that he really doesn't expect much from her. She's a soulless vampire, she acted like a soulless vampire. Unlike Lindsey who had a soul and had therefore, in Angel's eyes, seriously let the side down. *shrug* Nah, I don't buy it either. But it was funny.
Angel. His hope was his son. At the beginning of this Season, even the mere mention of Connor could send Angel spiralling down into depression. Now it's the exact opposite. When he went into battle, I don't think Angel could have wanted anything more from the situation. He had everything he could have hoped for. Connor knew who he was. Connor didn't blame him for what happened, in fact he appreciated it. Connor was *alive*. Connor was happy, Connor was loved, Connor loved his family... Connor was quite prepared to fight by Angel's side.
A Shanshu can't hold a candle against that. If anything, Connor was Angel's Shanshu. The old idea of living through your children I guess.
Wesley... Okay, starting with the gripes.
1) Why why why why *why* did he have to die in that wretched poloneck? WHY? He was wearing a perfectable eatable shirt thingy at the start, why did he have to change? *pout*
2) WESLEY: Hello there.
ILLYRIA: Oh Wesley. My Wesley.
LB: **headdesk** Oh God...
Actually, I think Amy Acker did a sterling job. THe lines were the cheesiest, corniest lines ever to crunch across the screen. But she and AD actually made them sound meaningful. When the first tear fell, I was *this* *close* to following suit.
There are a number of thoughts I want to say regarding Wesley's last day. Namely, I don't think, thank God, that it was all about Fred. The way the lines were delivered, as well as extreme wanting to find a way around the subject on my part, indicated that there was more to be said. Certainly, Wes was not ready to die when he went into that fight against Vail. Admittedly that knife was rather pathetic, but that last fireball was pretty cool.
And supper's just been called, so I'll leave those more meaningful thoughts (Hah!) for a rainy day.
Yeah, that was 'Angel', and it ended on the right note.
I think it helped that I'd had a few days to fully digest some particular plotlines. Those days also gave me the chance to try and reason my way around certain plotlines which I knew would just annoy the hell out of me.
That said, there was still a literal *headdesk* and "Oh God" moment when a certain scene hit the screen. Haven't we had enough of this already?
Okay, so plotline in a nutshell: The team all agree they're in. Then they all go about business, continuing to try and deceive Hamilton. Illyria is found alive and extremely pissed-off. Lindsey is recruited. Angel signs away his Shanshu at the request of the Black Thorn, and returns home to give Team Angel the day off. "Live this day like it's your last." So they all do just that, this includes visiting some old friends. (CONNOR!! SQUEEE!!!) Finally, they meet up, get given their assignments, and the fights commence. Angel, with a little unexpected help, disposes of Hamilton and Sebassis. Wes, sadly but unsurprisingly, is utterly outgunned when he goes up against the powerful wizard Vail, and snuffs it. Illyria kills Eddy, goes on to check on Wes, and ends up killing Vail as well. Lindsey kills some demony people and then gets killed by Lorne. Spike saves the baby from and kills the Fell Bretheren. Gunn axes the nefarious Senetor and her vampire lackeys, although he does receive what is likely to end up being a mortal wound. In the final scene, the whole gang, bar Lindsey, Lorne, and Wes, face the wrath of the Senior Partners. Which would be a dragon and what sounds like an uncountable horde of demons and general nasties. "Let's go to work." Credits. And a 'FUCK YOU!' inducing montage from the WB. *smile*
Alright, first character that pops to mind is actually Lorne. Before I say anything more, just offering a few quotes from past episodes.
LAWSON: You don't win a war by doing whatever it takes. You win by doing what's right.
ANGEL: Prophecy doesn't say you can't have a little help.
CONNOR:Hardly seems fair.
ANGEL: Fair's not something we worry about.
CONNOR: Maybe you should.
GUNN: You heard Angel. Feelings don't enter into it anymore.
FRED (irritated): That the world we're fighting for?...
GUNN: ...We're fightin' for our survival.
FRED: That's not enough, Charles, not for me.
All through the series we've had it drummed into us that it's all about fighting the good fight. Except, things then grew a little fuzzy as it became clear that not all the characters were agreed upon what 'The Good Fight' actually was. Was it about simply surviving? Was it about beating the bad guys? Or was it something far more personal, fighting for something inside of yourself.
This is where people like Wes and Angel differed from people like Lawson or Fred or Lorne.
The former were quite prepared to live in shades of grey, do things that might in the long term start killing them from the inside out, so long as the end result was 'worth it'. In battle, the ends did justify the means.
The latter type, as it turned out, weren't. In their eyes, the moment you started blurring the lines, the battle was already being lost, no matter what the end result.
I have to say, Lorne seriously got my respect in this episode, although I do feel so sad for him. We've watched him often make the, 'Is this what we do now?' comments, but this week he realised that, yes, it is what Angel does now. And he decided that this was not what Lorne would do, not anymore. He was prepared to do this one last task because a) it was for the family, and b) it was in the name of finally getting a swipe at the SP's. But he was not going to enter in any new battles, not on these guidelines. Once the Black Thorn were gone, he called it quits. I do believe that he will continue fighting, except this time he'll be doing it his own way. And even though he knows, understands, why Angel wanted Lindsey killed, even though he knows that Lindsey was and always would be a real threat, that death will always be on his conscience.
Spike. First time I started to tear up. When the applause started. Up until that moment I think he really thought his perfect day would be simply getting plastered and having a good bar brawl. Only then he realised that sometimes it's the smallest things that can make everything worth while. One small group scorned that poem. A century or so later, an entire roomful of people cheer and applaud. And Spike's smile said it all.
Gunn. He is most similar to Spike, I think, in that he seems a 'Live For The Moment' type of guy. Things seem most clear and grounded for him when he's fighting a bunch of vampires. At times like that, it's simple, he knows where he stands. Which could possibly be why he took so long to adjust to working at AI. It was the first time he'd had to seriously starting thinking about this thing called 'The Bigger Picture'. Up until then, he had lived in a world where there really wasn't much need for 'The Bigger Picture'. You were on the streets, simply trying to make it through to morning. But get outside that and there was a whole can of worms he had never had the time to even start opening. And at the end of 'Power Play', he had effectively been told that the SP's will never go away. The war will never be over. And he's not too sure what to make of it, other than of course he's going to keep fighting anyway.
And *then* he meets up with Anne.
ANGEL: All I wanna do is help. I wanna help because I don't think people should suffer as they do. Because, if there is no bigger meaning, then the smallest act of kindness - is the greatest thing in the world.
Anne effectively gives Gunn a very simple answer to the 'What If It's All For Nothing' dilema. Namely: 'And?'.
For her, it really doesn't matter. She's helping these kids and nothing can take that away from her. Whether or not Gunn really believes in that principle just yet, I think it was a major comfort and strength for him to spend some time in the presence of someone who does. He effectively wound up where he started. Back to simply wanting to make sure each fight, each minute, was worth something.
Harmony. Hmm. I'm guessing the reason Angel was so lenient on her is that he really doesn't expect much from her. She's a soulless vampire, she acted like a soulless vampire. Unlike Lindsey who had a soul and had therefore, in Angel's eyes, seriously let the side down. *shrug* Nah, I don't buy it either. But it was funny.
Angel. His hope was his son. At the beginning of this Season, even the mere mention of Connor could send Angel spiralling down into depression. Now it's the exact opposite. When he went into battle, I don't think Angel could have wanted anything more from the situation. He had everything he could have hoped for. Connor knew who he was. Connor didn't blame him for what happened, in fact he appreciated it. Connor was *alive*. Connor was happy, Connor was loved, Connor loved his family... Connor was quite prepared to fight by Angel's side.
A Shanshu can't hold a candle against that. If anything, Connor was Angel's Shanshu. The old idea of living through your children I guess.
Wesley... Okay, starting with the gripes.
1) Why why why why *why* did he have to die in that wretched poloneck? WHY? He was wearing a perfectable eatable shirt thingy at the start, why did he have to change? *pout*
2) WESLEY: Hello there.
ILLYRIA: Oh Wesley. My Wesley.
LB: **headdesk** Oh God...
Actually, I think Amy Acker did a sterling job. THe lines were the cheesiest, corniest lines ever to crunch across the screen. But she and AD actually made them sound meaningful. When the first tear fell, I was *this* *close* to following suit.
There are a number of thoughts I want to say regarding Wesley's last day. Namely, I don't think, thank God, that it was all about Fred. The way the lines were delivered, as well as extreme wanting to find a way around the subject on my part, indicated that there was more to be said. Certainly, Wes was not ready to die when he went into that fight against Vail. Admittedly that knife was rather pathetic, but that last fireball was pretty cool.
And supper's just been called, so I'll leave those more meaningful thoughts (Hah!) for a rainy day.
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no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 12:45 pm (UTC)You know what was wicked cool? Fred turning back to Illyria in slow motion and crush Vale (Vail?)'s skull.
I did cry when Wes died, hell, I'm still crying. Which is silly, because, he's *not* dead.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 01:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 01:57 pm (UTC)What on earth are we going to be like in a couple of weeks?
Me thinks there my be much wailing and tearing of garments etc. Although the large bottle of vodka I bought might help ;)
no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 05:05 pm (UTC)Yep, I'm guessing that was the reasoning behind the decision. Still, I think most people would have got the sense of deja-vu without the obvious costume hints. And Amy Amy didn't wear the red dress which she did when a) dying and b) fooling her parents.
I am shamelessly shallow. I know. But... come on. His outfits after 'Shells' were mind melting :)
no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 05:09 pm (UTC)When the Fred/Wes scene started I was cringing, but actually I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Amy Acker did a brilliant job, like I said, she made the terrible lines a moot point. Despite my best intentions, she really brought a lump to my throat.
That and, yes, there was the small, trifling point that Wesley was bleeding to death in her arms... That was a tad distracting...
no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 05:10 pm (UTC)omm.....
**swigs back the rum**
no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 05:11 pm (UTC)Actually, the thing to watch out for will be my *headdesk* moment. Keep me away from sharp edges. The rest of the scene I'll just be curling up in my sleeping bag, whimpering...
no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 05:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 05:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 08:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-25 08:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-26 01:12 am (UTC)No sharp edges in the living room so you're ok ;)