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Angel
Episode Air Date 11/19/01This isn't going to end well...
There's a reason you won't find Nyazean scrolls among the high tech companies and pork bellies traded on the world's stock and commodity exchanges: They are apparently worthless.
Or perhaps the lack of value really resides with Wesley and a Wolfram & Hart translator with a bad case of cubicle envy, neither of whom can seem to come up with a meaningful or accurate interpretation that's any better than, say, Gunn "reading" the cheese stuck to the inside of a pizza box lid. First the Troclon was a person. Now it's a confluence (which at least led to Cordy's fun use of the new adjective "confluey"). First there was going to be a birth. Then there wasn't. But then it happened anyway.
Hmm…With all the world changing stuff going on, it must be challenging for the writers to tie all the plot lines together. Last week's "miracle episode" was a tough act to follow. This week's showing, although highly satisfying and one of the best of the season, didn't quite reach the same level.
The episode picked-up right where last week left off, i.e., Angel and Holtz together again ("He's a goofy vampire with soul. And he's a depressed demon hunter from the 18th century. Now they're teaming up to fight crime in the big city. Angel and Holtz together again this Spring on the WB."). But it took two more Angel and Holtz scenes before anything actually happened. Why, for example, doesn't Angel tell Holtz right away that he has a soul now?
Likewise, there were multiple Angel-Darla scenes where nothing happened. A few such scenes add up to drama. Too many, however, result in a "talking head" syndrome that detracts from the overall flow. The episode could have been shorter, included a back story, or involved the other characters to a greater extent. Then again, perhaps Julie Benz deserved the focus as reward for all the great performances she has delivered as Darla.
The other flaw was the believability of the characters. Could the baby's soul effect such a profound change in Darla? Would Holtz really remain so committed to vengeance upon learning of Angel's condition (not to mention consorting with demons and lobbing firebombs that might incinerate innocent humans along with his target)?
With Holtz having had to solar deepfry his daughter (cum demonis) and Angel facing an uncertain future for his son (not to mention the whole ongoing redemption thing), there has been a lot of talk about the suffering of these two characters. But don't forget that others are suffering, too.
The Fang Gang. Forced to take a backseat to Angel (and, in an amusing bit, a front seat to Darla), they have little to contribute. Wesley has now failed as a rogue demon hunter, scroll translator, and obstetrician. "Cooking with Wesley" must be next. With her training and visions on hold, Cordy barely gets in a word. Unfortunately the writers try to compensate for the lack of female presence with a little too much Fred. At least Gunn gets to retain a minor role as comic relief (particularly notable: "If you ask me, what we need now is some Vaseline and a catcher's mitt.").
Wolfram & Hart. They really have nothing to do anymore, which is a shame. Gavin Park seems like a clever fellow, correctly deducing that Holtz must be from Angel's past. Lilah continues to evolve into an icily effective sociopath. (For those who want to experience that sort of thing first hand, try working for a large corporation.) Unfortunately for them, Holtz doesn't want more teammates beyond the help of Sahjhan and his squad of beefy bicep demons.
Lorne. Maybe it's time this song-loving demon found a new circle of friends while he can still quality for insurance. And he didn't even elicit a single "Yipee" for fixing the sanctuary system.
The Audience. The WB might not air another new episode until after the Holidays. Now that's horror…
