Underneath

*sigh* They're so very close to the end, and this episode felt so very much like pointless filler to me. Yeah, there were a couple of kind of amusing points, and SQUEE! for Harmony and Illyria being in the opening credits, but for the most part it was very forgettable.

So, yeah, running through the characters...

Gunn. You know, I was about to cheer when Angel started making his "all you did was sign a paper" spiel. Because it is so true. But then Angel had to go and ruin it by making it all about 'atonement'. *sigh* I really hate the notions of sin/atonement. Bores the bejesus out of me. You don't have to atone for things you've done (unless you can undo part of your mistake, which Gunn really can't). You're sorry for it and you feel bad about it for a while, but atonement doesn't do a damn thing. What you can do is learn from the experience and use that knowledge later on. Letting your heart get chopped out every day in a suburban hellhole just gives Angel's Avengers (*snicker* *loves Spike mocking Angel* *and Angel seriously considering the idea* ~_^) just one more thing to worry about when they've got enough trouble as is. That, and I'd rather have Gunn over Lindsey any day. So, yeah, I guess I should talk about...

Lindsey. OK, I just do not see the attraction with this man. He's got this squished flat smarmy face that makes me want to punch him. And his info? Kinda not useful. Ooh, this is 'the apocalypse'! *yawn* I have heard that before so many damn times. Just for once, I'd like the big season end thing not to be the apocalypse. Now that would be interesting and new. So, yeah. This apocalypse is the big one (i.e. it will be just like all the others except the Shanshu thing will probably be resolved this time because the show's ending). Big surprise. And it's already begun? You traded Gunn in for this guy so you could hear vaguely ominous warnings? *eye roll* After what Angel gave up, Lindsey had an obligation to at least be, I dunno, interesting in the final scene. But at least Eve's happy...

Eve. I'm one of the few people that actually liked Eve in the beginning. I don't now. 'Oh, Lindsey-poo's my whole life, and I'll just sob like a helpless girl when he's not around and then cuddle up next to him like a fashion accessory when he is.' Blah. Although the terminator lawyer they sent after her was kinda funny, given that he was ripped off of about every bad action movie ever made. Curse those lawyers and their persistent forms they want signed! ~_^

Wes & Illyria. This was what really disappointed me about this ep. Because they've got so many fascinating possibilities with the Illyria story line, but this episode just had drivel scenes with them. It was just the same thing over and over again... Here's my Wes & Illyria Scene Mini MadLib Generator:

Pick:

1. A group of people/animals/some other happy living thing, noun plural.
2. A British sounding insult, noun.
3, 4, & 5. Any three emotions.
6, 7, & 8. Choose one of the following three options for each, in any order: A) wondering about layers *cue ominous, meaningful music*, B) drunk, C) trapped.

Now, fill your answers into this form, and whee! Authentic Wes/Illyria dialogue straight from the show:

Illyria: "In my day, we tortured 1. ."
Wes: "Oh, shut up, you stupid 2. ."
Illyria: "I sense you are feeling 3. . Odd."
Wes: "I'm 6. ."
Illyria: "I sense you are feeling 4. . Odd."
Wes: "I'm 7. ."
Illyria: "I sense you are feeling 5. . Odd."
Wes: "I'm 8. ."

</sarcasm> Can you tell I found these scenes boring and repetitive yet? And the themes in them were just... Ugh. OK, Wesley drinks a lot, the writers apparently think using the word 'layers' a lot will make them sound deep, and someone - undoubtedly the same person who decided the suburbs were hell (which was fucking hilarious) - has spent too much time in corporate America and tried to liken Fred's apartment to a cubicle. Oh, and working in the white-collar world as promoting the apocalypse. Was anyone else checking to see if Scott Adams (of Dilbert) was one of the writers for this one? ~_^

*sigh* So much potential, so little use...

Lorne. Hey, Lorne actually did something for once. Not that I completely bought his bar speech. Like, Angel and crew definitely did not want him to just lie and say what everyone wanted to hear when he was reading everyone at W&H at the beginning of the season. But fugitive!Lorne was great.

Spike. *groan* What have they done to my Blondie Bear?! *channels Harmony* Remember when Spike used to be clever and witty and stuff? Well, no more. Now he's toting briefcases like an idiot, completely afraid of fire and sunshine (despite his earlier penchant for taunting both), and geeks it up by talking about Knight Rider. Not that I don't believe Spike's a closet geek, but what ever happened to the Big Bad persona? Or just, y'know, the Big Not-Pathetic persona? And why does it look like his right cheek is sunken in? And, for that matter, why are the make-up/lighting/camera people trying to make him look old? Because he doesn't look old in the promo shots before the show. He looks hot! Why have they decided it's a good idea to make very attractive people look ugly? Can someone please tell me that? (And you know it's gotten bad when even I begin to notice this stuff. Just ask xmirax. ~_^)

Angel. Yeah. Your speech to Gunn? Started off good and then sucked up a storm. And, for the love of god, will someone please make his hair not look like some horrible, greasy dead thing? Pretty please?

Harmony. Hee! I love Harmony! (Bet no one saw that coming, huh? ~_^) No, seriously, Harm was the best thing about this ep. Assuring Eve that Angel said she couldn't torture her and trying to take on Agent!Smith!Lawyer. That, and her wisecrack about how security never works. *sigh* How scary is it when I'm starting to think Harmony's the smartest and sanest of them all? ~_^

So, er, yeah. A couple kinda funny gags, but really nothing that stands out as good. Just a very blah ep all around.



Origin

Wow. OK, I was pissed because Connor was back because Joss had promised we wouldn't have to see his incestuous, Wesley-Crusher-looking, annoying ass again. But this episode... It was actually, y'know, good. I was very surprised. So here goes my chaotic run-down...

The new liaison to the SP. That crack about how he's not going to make love to Angel on the couch? *snort* This isn't even subtext, people, it's canon. ~_^ And, is it just me, or do people find that Angel already has more chemistry with this guy than he ever did with Eve? Just checking. ~_^

Gunn. Asking for his necklace back? Whoa. You go, man. Not because I think he deserves to be punished or needs to atone. But, like I ranted in the bit for last week's ep, he needs to learn from his mistakes. And, oh, has he learned. Because, even if he's going through hell, he knows that if he makes another deal someone he cares about will get hurt. And he doesn't want that on his shoulders ever again. I really felt for Gunn here in a way I never have before. He was just awesome.

Lorne. Didn't do anything. Again. *sigh*

Harmony. Had a really cute outfit. And really is amazingly competent as a secretary. I mean, knowing to shuffle Illyria off to where someone could keep an eye her? Harm so deserves employee of the month for that. In fact, for the first time I'm really starting to like Harmony not just as someone to laugh at but as a character I'm almost coming to respect. She's come such a long way, and it's been so subtle and so believable and over such a long period of time. (Yes, she is tied with Angel as the longest-running character in the Jossverse. ~_^) The writers all the way through created this amazing flow without even really trying to. (I'm sure none of them prioritized Harmony's characterization over anything else in the show.) But, hey, it's come out really well.

Spike. Is still the brunt of the joke. *sigh* It's getting kinda (really) annoying. Even in, say, BtVS's S4 when Spike was largely comic relief, I still felt like he had a character arc that was compelling. I felt like he was giving as good as he was getting. He was kind of a foil to the other characters, looking at their actions from a completely different perspective that made you realize, yeah, this is all kind of ridiculous, isn't it? In AtS, he's really not, and that saddens me because it makes his character so much more shallow. Although Spike saying he's going to "break" Illyria? Hot. Illyria saying she wants to make Spike her pet? Even fucking hotter. My Spillyria little heart just swooned. *is planning PWP right now* ^_^ (And, am I the only one who said, "She's beating him up to a bloody pulp for no reason whatsoever! Buffy watch out, Spike's found his new dream woman!" and then felt catty for it afterwards? I thought not. ~_^)

Illyria. So much more interesting in this ep. And not just because she knows oh-so-many wonderful things one could do with a pet Spike. ~_^ She kind of reminds me of the Vulcan characters over on Star Trek, able to observe emotions but not quite feeling them. If they had a longer time on this show, they could really get into that story line with her, which would be awesome because it's one of the themes that fascinates me most. Alas, they have only four more eps. And kudos to Angel's Avengers *snicker* for finally looking to make use, or at least understand, her powers...

So, then we get to the wonderful mess that is the main characters...

Connor. Still annoys me. And I kinda didn't buy how memory!wipe!Connor bought everything so easily. Or how non!memory!wipe!Connor was still so well adjusted. I kinda expected him to try to drive the axe through Angel's back or something. Instead, he surprised me by being mature and realizing that his dad had done a really good thing for him because he loved him. Go figure. But I'm glad Angel finally got that closure. So many of the Connor plots just pissed me off for how grossly unfair they were to Angel. Now Angel can finally rest in peace, so to speak, knowing that his son even approves of the hard choices he's made. Very good stuff here.

Angel. First off, I loved the speech he gave to Wesley about yanking his head out of his ass and actually doing something useful. (Paraphrasing mine. ~_^) And he was so cute and goofy-looking when Connor's telling him he looks cool and stuff. All puffed up and doing a really bad job trying to pretend he's modest. Hee! I did worry that Angel bought ugly!breathing-tube!demon's story so easily. For a while I was afraid, I don't know, that the prophecy wasn't translated right or something, and that Connor would get killed instead. Which Angel really wouldn't have been able to take. That would've been the biggest angst-fest ever. Which was why I was surprised the writers didn't do it. ~_^ But, yeah, I felt like Angel got sorted with the whole Connor thing is this ep, and, while he might still be sad that he doesn't get to raise his own son, he doesn't have to worry about it so much anymore.

Wesley. Oh, dear god. I kept screaming at Wes for being an idiot throughout this ep. He just wouldn't listen. And now he's done it again. Back when I still wasn't sure that restored!Connor would be cool with Angel, I kept thinking, "You've done it again, Wes. Been so fucking sure that you're right that you've ruined this kid's life all over again." He's just lucky he dodged the ball on that one. But now he gets to put up with all that guilt all over again. Which is good. Suddenly!happy!Wes was one of the things that annoyed me most about this season. It was...irritating and cut out so much of Wes' personality that he was just...blah. So now he gets to face it all again. And now I feel like it's too late. They erased that all, and now they're going to try to deal with it in four episodes? I really feel like the writers have over-booked themselves just like they did on BtVS. But, then, if the next four episodes are all good like this one, maybe they can just pull it off...



Also, for those who care, this post is entirely promo-safe. ^_^