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Angel
The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco
original air-date: 11-05-03
In the
best episode of the new season so far, Angel takes on an Aztec
warrior demon while wrestling (pardon the pun; when you see
the ep, you'll know) with his own doubts regarding the Shanshu
prophecy (or is it Shansu? Given the many pronunciations over
the seasons, how can anyone be sure? Maybe Spike is right
and it's "shan shoes").
Many kudos
to Jeffrey Bell, the seasoned Angel and X-Files
writer/director who helms this installment. Mr. Bell delivers
the goods with an episode that features a standalone story
that also ties into the ongoing story arc. That's no easy
feat, and Mr. Bell pulls it off with style, humor, and some
of the best fights in a while (perhaps because there is the
clear possibility that Angel may not win). To do so, he uses
a tried-and-true formula for Angel: Many shorter scenes
featuring the characters in different combinations.
More importantly,
Mr. Bell takes what might otherwise be a background character
and builds a great story around him. The person in question
is none other than the masked Wolfram & Hart mail cart
pusher we've seen several times in the background. Number
Five, or more aptly Numero Cinco, is actually the last surviving
member of Los Hermanos Numeros, five Mexican wrestlers who
were also evil-fighting superheroes in their spare time.
The flashbacks
showing Numero Cinco and his brothers are larger-than-life
campy perfection. David Boreanaz also contributes with a well
expressed mix of skepticism, bemusement, and the doubt Angel
is feeling.
On a side
note, Los Hermano Numeros may remind a few (actually very
few, i.e., those that like obscure/cult sci-fi and/or over
30, grew up in the metropolitan NYC area, and watched "Creature
Feature" regularly) viewers of some really campy late
60's Spanish/Mexican films involving "Superargo,"
a masked wrestler turned superhero. There were two Superargo
movies: Superargo vs. Diabolicus, and Superargo
vs. The Faceless Giants (which were actually robots).
Hmm...Given the reference to "El Diablo Robotico"
as a past enemy to Los Hermanos Numeros in this episode, one
might wonder if Superargo did in some way inspire Mr. Bell's
creativity.
Another
interesting observation is that this excellent episode could
have occurred without the Wolfram & Hart storyline or
Spike. Of course that raises the ongoing and contentious question
of whether either are really needed. It doesn't help that
when Spike first shows up, he's really just an annoyance and
distraction to what is clearly going to be an interesting
story. Spike is very amusing, but there is only so far the
Angel prodding can go before it become tiresome.
Fortunately
his role shifts in the episode and he attempts to contribute
as part of the team. In fact, this episode shows the Fang
Gang (sans Lorne) working effectively as a team for the first
time in a while.
And for
fans still upset about the so-called Connor mindwipe (or more
specifically, any info on it's extent, ramifications, and
effects on the main characters), Mr. Bell deftly settles the
issue in large measure with a single line from Wes.
More importantly, Mr. Bell has, with one outstanding episode,
settled the issue that Angel is still a great show
despite the upheaval at the end of the last season.
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