Angel: Provider

Angel: "I don't know what to tell you, Sam. I can't kill on deferment. Sets a precedent."

This one was fairly cute and funny. The focus on making a buck was fun, and hey, it worked – they now have $50K to play with. (Who else could hear Michael Palin yelling "and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope!" while Angel was doing his priority list of helping the helpless, finding Holtz, and making money?)

Our major season three theme, Angel as the undead superdad, is definitely fun, and David Boreanas certainly has a knack for comedy, but how long can they keep this baby plot going before it gets unworkable? I'm guessing that there will have to be some kind of resolution to the situation eventually. Until then, someone has to take care of it, and that means they either have to hire a nanny, make one of the cast members hors-de-combat, or put the baby in nearly every scene, which is what they did this time. That can't have been easy to film, unless they're using really well-behaved identical quadruplets. That baby-makes-three Daddy-and-Aunt-Cordy scene on the bed at the end was just too cute for words, too, and I mean exactly that – practically nauseating.

Speaking of which, do I sense another emerging season three theme, as in "everyone in the cast gets a love life"? Are hetero romantic vibes the order of the day, or is it just Valentine's Day approaching? It wasn't just Angel and Cordelia; Wesley and Gunn lusting after Fred at the same time just seemed so out of character for both of them. Although they did get good at saying "Fred" longingly and in unison.

Holtz continued his bizarre recruiting efforts by skewering Justine. I dunno, I think I probably wouldn't work for him if he did that to me.

Bitch, bitch, bitch. Part of me is really enjoying season three and the other part just can't stop criticizing it. I hope I'm not pissing everyone off.

Bits and pieces:

— Liked the Allie and Brian the stalking zombie boyfriend subplot. That was a fun twist.

— Is Lorne working for Angel now? Angel referred to him as a "top employee."

— Don't get me wrong, David Boreanaz is a gorgeous, gorgeous guy. But was he looking a bit chunky, especially in the last scene on the bed with Cordelia and Connor? Or am I just making unfair comparisons to a certain other buff vamp who's been doing a lot of nude scenes lately?

— Did Lorne get most of the best lines, or was Andy Hallett's delivery just really good? Or both?

Quotes:

Lorne: "If this is about the baby formula that I snagged from the fridge last night, sorry. I was feeling a little peckish, and it was that or a glass of pig's blood. By the way, baby formula and Kahlua? Not as bad as it sounds."

Angel: "Lorne, I need you to use your contacts to find out what Holtz is up to. He's out there somewhere. We can never forget that. Finding him is our number one priority."
Gunn: "I thought you said..."
Angel: "Finding Holtz and making money are our two number one priorities."
(Cordelia clears her throat)
Angel: "Helping the helpless, finding Holtz, and making money are our three number one priorities."

Wesley: "The internet article I'm currently writing posits a formula for the genome mapping of creatures who don't have genes. It's an exciting arena."
Lorne: "One I'm sure we can all download at 'I'll never know the love of a woman dot com'."

Lorne: "They either have to consult with their prince, or go eat a cheese monkey. Did I mention, rusty with the lingo?"

Fred: "There's a young woman whose dead boyfriend is stalking her."
Angel: "That's terrible. Did you..."
Cordelia: "I ran her credit. She's solvent."

Lorne: "This is special firewater, used to loosen the tongue of my Gar-wak snitch. They light the water on fire and there's chanting and a bong, and look out, Houston."

Wesley: "Perhaps there is something he left unfinished, something he wants to tell you."
Gunn: "Or maybe he just wants to eat your intestines."
Wesley: "Gunn. We don't know that he's a zombie, and besides, the flesh-eating is a myth. Zombies merely mangle, mutilate and occasionally wear human flesh. So there is no reason to be frightened until we have a better idea."

Fred: "Are you okay?"
Lorne: "I was feeling seasick when we were still on dry land. Do I look greener than usual?"

Lorne: "Nice decor. Sort of like Jules Verne meets Leona Helmsly."

Lorne: "Oh, hors d'oeuvres. Oh really, I couldn't. I had eyeballs and insects for breakfast."

Fred: "There is an ascending and descending causation instantly proved by that. (Giggles) I think I'm on to something here."
Lorne: "Yeah, me too. Unfortunately, it requires a vomitorium."

Lorne: "Uh, still tied up down here."
Fred: "Oh..."
Lorne: "Yeah, come on. My hands are turning pink."

Cordelia: "Okay. College fund, pay our bills, and rent a ski condo in Aspen."
Angel: "Ski condo?"
Cordelia: "There's got to be some fun in our lives."
Angel: "Hmm, I like a ski condo."
Cordelia: "Sure. Snow. Trees. Chipmunk robots on ice..."

Two and a half out of four stakes,

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

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