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Angel
Damage
original air-date: 01-28-04
Poor Dana.
When the Scoobies threw the worldwide "on switch"
for the would-be slayers, some got the chance to fight against
Ubervamps in Sunnydale, while many others no doubt had the
chance to break all manner of high school athletic records.
All poor Dana got was an order for daily thorazine on top
of her existing medications.
And whereas
other young women might carry the baggage of a failed relationship
or a teenage eating disorder, Dana struggles with dreams about
dead Slayers. Not to mention memories of being abducted and
tortured. Poor Dana.
So it
may not come as much surprise that when a medical mix-up affords
her the opportunity, she lashes out with a bone saw while
escaping from the psychiatric prison (for better or worse,
the director spares the audience from a CSI-like blood
spray). Afterall, excusing murder because of childhood trauma
has become somewhat of an American legal tradition.
Those
concerned about poor Dana's well being or, for that matter,
innocent LA bystanders (if such a thing is possible) need
not worry. Once Angel learns of the situation, he wisely consults
with Rupert Giles (off screen, natch), who dispatches his
"top man."
Now perhaps
the destruction of the Watcher's Council and the abundance
of new Slayers has led to a human resource shortage. Plus
the Watcher's Council doesn't exactly have a good track record
for sending staff members to retrieve Slayers. And certainly
Giles has never been much of an Angel fan, soul or no soul.
But Andrew?!
Would
Giles entrust the safe "capture" of a psychotic,
saw-wielding Slayer to Andrew after less than a year of training?
Then again, he does perform under pressure, i.e., fires a
dart with a steady hand and weathers a nasty kick to the face
(all that new hair provides cushioning).
And many
fans are likely to forgive any plot stretch for the chance
to savor Andrew's buffoonery yet again. In a way similar to
Harmony, Andrew is a welcome bit of levity to the dour tedium
that has become the Fang Gang's "did we do the right
thing" Wolfram & Hart experience.
Perhaps
no one exemplifies this situation more than Gunn. Tiresome
legalese and confused loyalties aside, just contrast the dull
suit he wears here vs. the stylish threads he donned when
accompanying Gwen to a power party (courtesy of recent TBS
re-run magic). So when Angel notes "I think I liked you
better when you just wanted to hit people with a stick"
many fans are probably nodding in agreement. Meanwhile, Wes
continues to be about as prominent as wallpaper. At least
the writers toss Lorne a small bone in having him figure out
the way to unravel Dana's past.
As with
his work on Buffy,
Tom Lenk is a lot of fun to watch as the former would be bad
boy turned would be Watcher. One quibble is that Mr. Lenk
is clearly amusing himself as well and visibly struggles to
keep a straight face in several scenes. Those slips detract
somewhat. Andrew was always the most amusing when he delivered
his Fanboy observations with complete earnestness.
Amusing
Andrew antics aside, there are also some excellent scenes
between Angel and Spike. Whether they want to or not, they
are developing an interesting friendship. That makes sense,
really. After all, both dated Buffy, and both must deal with
the consequences of their pre-soul existence. The closing
hospital scene is particular well-done (thank goodness the
end wasn't the rather cheesy "Slayer posse" scene).
It is an antidote to the infamous "Dawson's Creek"
ending that left many fans gagging earlier in the season.
In addition
to providing good dialogue, the writers deserve special credit
for two scenes. Both are minor. But poor handling might have
otherwise resulted in clichéd or sloppy story telling.
The first
comes when Angel explains that capturing Dana is a real "finesse
job." The cliché would be an immediate cut to
Angel or another character using brute force. But instead
the writers show in a very different way why things may not
proceed so smoothly.
The second
involves the nurse at the psychiatric hospital. Viewers might
initially wonder why she is so willing to help Angel. But
a simple scene explains not only her motivation but also clears
up how Wolfram & Hart heard about the situation at all.
What the
writers fail to clear-up, though, are the consequences of
Eve's actions last
week. The sudden drop of the Eve-Lindsey storyline is
a bit disappointing (if not unbelievable). Given that the
Dana story did drag a bit in middle, one wonders if the writers
could have included a B story that continued last week's key
events.
No doubt
next week's episode with the long awaited return of Cordelia
(at least a conscious, unpossessed Cordelia) will address
the main story arc. If nothing else, Cordy's hair finally
looks good again!
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