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Angel: Eternity

Rebecca: "You're not a killer."
Angel: "I gave that up."
Rebecca: "Well, there is a support group for everything in this town, I guess."

Angelus is back! He's a fascinating side of Angel's character, David B. does him very well, and any television team worth their salt would do their best to get him in there somehow. The temporary nature of "synthetic happiness" didn't completely ring true for me, but what were their options? Having Angel turn evil again permanently and flying Willow in from Sunnydale to redo the curse? Any way that they can work Angelus in works for me – as long as they don't play the Angelus card too often and squeeze the juice out of it.

I really thought at first that Angel was faking it to scare Rebecca off. It was easy to feel for poor Rebecca. Certainly she's beautiful and talented, but Hollywood is a killer and she's only as good as her last movie or TV show. It's gruesome that anyone who isn't disfigured should have to consider plastic surgery at 24. *shudder*

The Angel Powers That Be have really turned the volume down on Wesley. It isn't just the different hair and clothes; they're showing his vulnerability. And it worked. I wanted to hug him during this episode.


One last thing – Wesley brought up the Angel "happiness" issue again, saying that he thought Angel only turned because he had a moment of perfect happiness with Buffy, the only woman he ever truly loved. This was how I thought it should be all along. Maybe because I'd hate it if Angel never got to have sex again.

Bits and pieces:

— If Cordelia did so well faking out Angelus with the un-holy water, how come she faked her Doyle-vision so poorly?

— The shackles showed up again, with lots of extra chains for company. "You're not going to untie me, are you?"

Quotes:

Angel: "And I thought I knew eternity."

Cordelia: "Okay, so I was loud. But was I any good?"
Wesley: "You took the role and made it your own."
Cordelia: "Really? Thanks. Angel, was I good?"
Angel: "I wouldn't say it if I didn't think so."
Cordelia: "Thanks." You didn't say it."
Angel: "Hey, you know, it was a night in the theater I'll never forget."

Cordelia: "It was a seminal show. Canceled by the idiot network. I was going to picket them but I didn't have any comfortable shoes."

Wesley: "The person who needs help here is Ms. Lowell."
Cordelia: "Right. He could be helping us both. Think of the karma."

Angel: "I'm not what you think."
Rebecca: "You're not? Because, no reflection, dark, private office, instantly knowing those letters weren't written in blood, I guess what I would think is vampire."
Angel: "Then again..."
Rebecca: "Which is impossible. Bela Lugosi, Gary Oldman, they're vampires."
Angel: "Frank Langella was the only performance I believed."


Wesley: "Angel's moment of true happiness occurred because he was with Buffy. You realize how rare that is? True happiness? And what are the odds he's find that with an actress?"
Cordelia: "What's that supposed to mean?"

Angel: "Cordelia, you're here. And you brought a cross."
Cordelia: "Along with three double half-caff, non-fat, skinny lattes."
Angel: "And a cross."
Cordelia: "Well, judging by the outfit, I guess it's safe to come in. Evil Angel never would have worn those pants."

Cordelia: "So she went to lunch and just left you here to rummage through her things?"
Angel: "No, I told her that I was a vampire, and that daytime patio dining was out."
Cordelia: "Did you just make a joke?"

Rebecca: "According to those, I've slept with Ernest Borgnine, and I'm bulimic."
Angel: "I hear Borgnine is a very skilled lover."

Cordelia: "You must have a ton of friends you could have asked."
Rebecca: "Yeah, but none of them would know what to buy a 200 year-old vampire as a thank-you gift."
Cordelia: "Oh god. He's impossible to buy for. What on earth does he need? More socks?"

Rebecca: "Well, I may have given him something to help loosen him up, and now he's..."
Cordelia: "Loose?"
Rebecca: "Yeah."
Wesley: "What did you give him?"
Rebecca: "Does it matter?"
Cordelia: "Well, if he's all homicidal, I'm thinking, yeah!"

Angel: "So we're okay then?"
Cordelia: "I'm too big of a person to let something so petty get in the way of our friendship."
Angel: "I appreciate that. (long pause) You're not going to untie me, are you?"

Three out of four stakes,

Billie
---
Billie Doux reviewed all of Buffy and Angel, so she knows the plural of apocalypse.

8 comments:

  1. I love it when Angelus shows up.

    This is also a great episode for Wesley. His forgiveness of Angel for the unforgivable things Angelus said as well as his understanding of who Angel is makes for a wonderful moment. The look on his face as he walks away, however, is a wonderful study of forgiveness vs. hurt. The fact that Cordelia follows his example just cements how he has become one of them.

    All that aside, one of my favorite parts of this episode is the open. Hilarious. Both Boreanaz and Denisof can do comedy brilliantly.

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  2. It is strange to say it, but this episode had my favorite line reading of "Pfffft!"

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  3. I never liked this Episode. The "perfect happiness" was always a vague concept, and I didn't believe the chemically induced Angelus not for a minute. The idea just didn't work for me.

    Also the Hollywood angle was so by the numbers. Many shows do this story one time or the other, and it is always the same.

    At least the Angelus moments were fun like always.

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  4. I've moved ahead of the rewatch a bit and I really had almost no memory of this plot. So, not good.

    I did enjoy seeing Angelus, DB clearly has a fun time playing him. I'm ok to hand wave the dubious explanation of the drugs making him "perfectly happy" this time but I hope they don't go to that well too often.

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  5. I always enjoy it when Angelus shows up so I liked the episode. I also think I can talk around the temporary evil thing. True happiness lifts the curse but the curse gave him a soul. He can still be evil and kill but he feels it and so chooses not to. If his inhibitions are lifted then he doesn't have the guilt and remorse that keep us from doing evil - that is Angelus re-emerges. It worked for me but I am particularly good at suspending disbelief.

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  6. I like this episode and pretty much saw it the way you do drnanamom, I'm sure Angel's acknowledged before that the enjoyment he has for murder and mayhem is only kept in check by his guilt, but still there. So, for me chemical happiness causing Angelus to surface makes pretty good sense.

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  7. I liked Angelus smashing the wine glass against the ceiling, it's oddly satisfying to watch

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  8. I think it's interesting to juxtapose this episode with the early-Buffy episode wherein a cult wants to be turned. The episodes share a somewhat similar premise but their tone is quite different, showing the differences in tone between the shows. In the BtvS episode, there certainly is some drama with the sick guy wanting to be turned, but the rest of his 'cult' are kind of funny and ridiculous. In this Angel episode, the 'turning' plot stands in service to a somber reflection upon Hollywood culture. Similar-ish premise, very different tones. Both great.

    I liked the pairing of David Boreanaz and Tamara Gorski (Rebecca Lowell). For once, he's paired up with an actor of roughly the same age (Gorski is slightly older). Angel with Lowell and Kate (Lockley) works way better for me than Angel with Buffy. When thirsting for Buffy, Angel looks immature for his age. He's much more believable and mature when paired with somewhat older people. Comes across as taller, even.

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