Angel
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original air-date: 05-07-03
In the
movie The Zero Effect (oft overlooked and highly recommended),
"the world's greatest detective" Daryl Zero and
his assistant Steve Arlo at one point discuss the relative
moral standings of their clients and those people they investigate.
Arlo offers this pragmatic summary:
"There
aren't evil guys and innocent guys. It's just... It's just...
It's just a bunch of guys."
Likewise
on Angel, the line between so-called good and evil
has blurred even more this season. There may not be evil powers
and good powers. It may be just a bunch of powers.
Thus is
a season finale second only to Alias
in the "didn't see that coming" category. Recently
deceased Lilah Morgan (ironically looking better than ever;
death becomes her) conveys an offer to the Fang Gang to assume
control of the newly restored L.A. office of Wolfram &
Hart (New! Improved! Now with 100% less zombies!).
Apparently
the so-called Senior Partners are grateful to Angel and company
for ridding the world of Jasmine and her quest for world peace
(not to mention an endless supply of "Soylent Green Energy").
So they have assigned Lilah to extend their offer.
Apparently
W&H contracts include special beyond the grave (sort of
a "golden shroud" incentive for early retirement).
At least Lilah isn't stuck working an elevator like Holland
Manners, sorely missed along with Mayor Wilkins on Buffy.
(Nice to at least see both briefly this week, even if only
for a few seconds in the "previously on Angel"
montage).
Meanwhile,
Connor wanders the messy streets of an L.A. collectively suffering
from Post-Jasmine Separation Disorder (one can easily imagine
the pharmaceutical companies rushing out the soft voiceover
ads, e.g., "If you have any of these symptoms, you might
be suffering from PJSD. Ask you doctor.")
Connor
is suffering his own mental breakdown. Then again, was he
ever compos mentis? Now he seems fixated on people
not valuing their families. Hmm...Perhaps the fans would be
better off if Vincent Kartheiser would fixate on acting lessons.
With decisions
that push the limit of believability, the Fang Gang decides
to at least take the tour of Wolfram & Hart. It includes
individual guides suited to their expertise: Fred (looking
great, BTW, but when did she become so Linda Hamilton?) visits
the labs with a fellow granola geek, Lorne checks out the
entertainment division, and Wes accompanies an ex-Watcher
to the library.
The purpose
of Gunn's tour is less clear, other than the eye candy. His
visit definitely lays the foundations for an important storyline
and does make the audience wonder if the whole offer really
could be a ruse to focus on Gunn instead of Angel for a change.
Connor's
situation becomes dire when he takes hostages at a department
store. The premise is a little clichéd and hokey (among
other things, where did he learn demolitions?).
When Angel
inevitably shows up to "talk him down," the drama
is more tedious than captivating. Once again, Karthesier just
seems to suck the energy out of the scene. And again, the
fight scene comes in a far second to the incredible cat fight
between Sydney and Evil Francie (a.k.a. Allison) on Alias.
Predictably
Angel takes the W&H offer to save Connor. But doing so
results in an odd twist at the end of the episode. Hopefully
the writers will be up to the tricky writing required to juxtapose
this twist with the plot developments of the last two seasons.
Overall,
the season finale delivers a very intriguing premise and generally
solid delivery. Still, the episode feels a little too linear
and lackluster for a finale. Many fans (and reviewers) were
probably looking for more "pop," particularly after
the Jasmine anti-climax. But as Daryl Zero explains:
"When
you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding
it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're
only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything
at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because
of all the things in the world, you're sure to find some of
them."
And fans
certainly found a lot of great things this season of Angel.
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