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Angel: You're Welcome

Cordelia: "I'm just on a different road. And this is my off-ramp."

It was wonderful seeing the old "I take crap from no one" Cordelia again, the Cordelia we didn't see enough of in seasons three and four. They gave her an outstanding farewell episode, one of the best episodes of the series.

There were several hints throughout about what was really happening:

(1) The body on the hospital bed. "Miss One Foot in the Grave," wasn't Cordelia's roommate; it was Cordelia herself.

(2) Cordelia told Angel that Doyle "used his last breath to make sure you'd keep fighting. I get that now."

and (3) Cordelia told Wesley: "I'm sorry [about Lilah]. I just wanted to tell you that before..." before she died, of course. She also complimented Wesley on his mojo right before he got into the elevator. She was saying goodbye to him.


All of the Cordelia scenes rang true, and the current of emotion between Cordelia and Angel was just perfect. Loved the kiss at the end; it was definitely their best, the first Angel/Cordelia smooch that actually moved me. Too bad they didn't get a chance to have astral sex. Speaking of kisses, the last thing Doyle did before he died was kiss Cordelia and pass the visions on to her. Did Cordelia do the same thing to Angel? Or are the visions going with her?

Christian Kane was finally credited. This was the first time it was confirmed that he was indeed Lindsey McDonald. (We all knew, of course, but still.) Enjoyed the references to "City Of," loved the cool concealment spell, and that final fight scene was classic. Can't the Senior Partners find some non-fatal use for Lindsey? Please, Christian Kane, come back and take your shirt off again!

On the Angel/Spike bonding front, my favorite exchange was: "The fail-safe's meant for me. I'm not going to risk anybody I care about." Spike: "I'll go." Angel (instantly): "Okay." But Spike did go, and he fought zombies and helped Angel. After a hundred years at odds, Angel and Spike have finally arrived at something resembling a truce. Getting them there during the past eleven episodes has been skillfully done.

The gang may be trapped in an evil law firm, but we now know that the Powers are still backing Angel. Cordelia "woke up" for a reason. The Powers must want Angel to stay at Wolfram & Hart. And that makes all the difference. Angel is now Angel again.

Lots and lots of bits and pieces:

— During that final conjuring scene, Fred was giving Wesley a long, hard look. Did she wake up and smell the hotty?

— Connor was mentioned again. Wesley remembers Cordelia killing Lilah, but not what happened with Jasmine. What exactly does the gang remember about last season? And was this a set-up for a Connor-related episode?

— Angel's outrage about the five dead nuns was an interesting touch, considering that Angelus loved killing nuns.

— Harmony had a couple wonderful lines. Small doses, she's very funny.

— Lorne had a good line or two, but he's been shortchanged lately. The good lines are going to Spike. This tends to happen, as anyone in the BtVS cast could tell you. Writers love Spike.

— Cordelia called Eve, "Lilah Junior." And Spike called Angel a tit and a git.

— What was the "fail-safe" that Lindsey tried to awaken? I bet we see it later in the season.

— Eve said that Angel was still the center of Lindsey's universe. Was that for the slash fans?

— Lindsey and Spike actually bonded over amputation. That's weird, even for Angel.

— Dan says that Spike was playing Donkey Kong on an X-Box, which is a major geekly no-no.

— According to Spike, demon's blood has an astringent taste. Wouldn't different demons have different tasting blood? And wasn't Cordelia part demon at one point? Wouldn't her "asteroid" body taste demonic?

— In this week's hair and wardrobe report, Cordelia looked absolutely fabulous. And how about that spectacular cleavage? ("I'm a vision of hotliness. And how weird is that?") Much like she looked a couple of years ago, which made me miss her more. And David Boreanaz is looking slim, trim, and better all the time, although I'm worried that his hair is about to go into orbit.

— They showed the "rats are low" clip we were all so emotional about when Glenn Quinn died. Which made me realize that two of the three original Angel characters are now dead.

Quotes:

Harmony: "So how was the coma?"

Cordelia: "Spike, I heard you weren't evil anymore. Which kinda makes the hair silly."

Spike: "It was a taste test, you git. I needed to know if what my source said was true. And, actually, well, you don't taste evil. Demons are more astringent, with a sort of oaky...."

Harmony: "Is this okay? I mean, I am evil, technically. I don't mind torturing her for the team."

Fred: "Angel, you're not going down there alone."
Angel: "The fail safe's meant for me. I'm not going to risk anybody I care about."
Spike: "I'll go."
Angel: "Okay."

Spike: "Come on, lads, no need to be gentle. We're all dead men here."

Wesley: "Sprinkle ingredients with the arterial blood of an unclean... a demon."
Lorne: "Heh, we're unclean. Like you're April fresh... you sure that thing said arterial blood?"
Wesley: "Sorry."
Lorne: "Why don't they ever need the urine of an unclean? I've got plenty of unclean urine. (Gunn pulls a knife) Look, I think I'm making some right now."

Cordelia: "Oh, and you're welcome."
Angel: (on phone) "Hello? Yes, I know. She's... but that's impossible. She's standing right... (looks up, Cordelia is gone) I'm sorry. Yeah. When did she die? Did she... she never did wake up? I see. (hangs up) Thank you."

Goodbye, Cordelia. Five out of four stakes,

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

7 comments:

  1. This ep got to me much more on the rewatch. It was a perfect farewell to Cordelia. She was the one true Cordy throughout, and every single line she had was golden.

    And the resolving plotlines didn't end there. Without getting spoilerish, we had a good resolution to Lindsey, Eve and Angel's anxiety over being W&H's CEO. And the gang acted as a gang again. Everyone contributed, even Harmony.

    Excellent episode.

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  2. I didn't realize just how much I was missing Cordy until this episode. It was a wonderful send off....I just wish she could have stayed. Charisma looked absolutely beautiful.

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  3. Ahh rewatching this makes me sad... that cleavage is amazing!

    Charisma was great such a shame

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  4. I think this episode was the best episode of Angel and that says a lot considering I think it's of the best TV shows ever.

    Charisma Carpenter performance was outstanding as was David Boreanaz.

    From what I understand David Boreanaz was very emotional during that last scene with Charisma. I still tear up when I see that final scene.

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  5. If this show and Buffy has a failing, it's that their best plots seem to always be blazed through. IF they have a failing, that is. Seriously this episode was too fucking fast-paced, but still easily the best of the season. Why isn't there a Director's Cut for these top-tier episodes with all the footage they had to cut to fit everything in? How does that work?

    Cordelia and Wes finally talk, that was good, and I forgive her for snubbing him last time because she 'chose' Angel.

    >>"Speaking of kisses, the last thing Doyle did before he died was kiss Cordelia and pass the visions on to her. Did Cordelia do the same thing to Angel?"
    :o So that alternate reality where Cordelia never bumped into Angel in the premiere might still happen? A mad Champion, following a psychotic Slayer

    >>"Please, Christian Kane, come back and take your shirt off again!"
    I'm not a tattoo fan but I loved the look on him so much. Also he looked really cute when Wes's spell worked and the tattoos floated off him. That genuine "Damn," I wanted to give him a hug lol.

    >>"The gang may be trapped in an evil law firm, but we now know that the Powers are still backing Angel."
    I was so curious and unsure about that. What they thought about Jasmine, what changed when Angel defeated her. Were they shamed into backing off? Or just grieving. Was I reading too much into Gus's "You're a Power That Was?"

    >>"— During that final conjuring scene, Fred was giving Wesley a long, hard look. Did she wake up and smell the hotty?"
    I always love the eye-fucking, it's better than anything that ever follows (I know this is a faulty way to think), all done in red light too.

    >>"— Harmony had a couple wonderful lines. Small doses, she's very funny."
    Cordy, Harmony, and mini-Lilah in a scene together. The house finally felt full :D

    >>"— Lorne had a good line or two, but he's been shortchanged lately. The good lines are going to Spike. This tends to happen, as anyone in the BtVS cast could tell you. Writers love Spike."
    Yeah that's a bit of a bummer, and some of the BtVS writers made it onto this show after it ended which I have mixed feelings about.

    >>"— What was the "fail-safe" that Lindsey tried to awaken? I bet we see it later in the season."
    Oh yeah what the hell, that's the only thing that makes the episode feel incomplete. How was nobody curious about it?

    >>"— Dan says that Spike was playing Donkey Kong on an X-Box, which is a major geekly no-no."
    WHY DO ALL THE SHOWS DO THIS?? Is it intentional like the cringey Wilhelm scream? I'm not even really a gamer but it seriously annoys me lol. May-reo VS the Monkey Kong on X-Station *mashes buttons*

    >>"And David Boreanaz is looking slim, trim, and better all the time, although I'm worried that his hair is about to go into orbit."
    It BETTER get bigger as he develops more faith in his role.

    >>"— They showed the "rats are low" clip we were all so emotional about when Glenn Quinn died."
    It's sad to realize Cordelia was probably mourning herself watching it as much as Doyle.

    Cordelia: "Spike, I heard you weren't evil anymore. Which kinda makes the hair silly."
    Ha, my favourite

    Lorne's urine bit was funny too, mainly because I imagined a Buffy-Andrew fake-out where Wes indeed only needed his urine, but it had to be released by fear.

    What can I say, I gave up thinking I'd ever see Cordy puttering around the office, and then I did! What a great spiritual series finale. In fact I think I'll have to stop here. Youse understand, surely, the need to go out on top. And we're saying goodbye to Cordelia and Lindsey in the same episode. Everything's been said, Angel's found his motivation again. Well, bye losers! *Tries to walk away but gets yanked back by an umbrella hook*

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  6. >> >>"— They showed the "rats are low" clip we were all so emotional about when Glenn Quinn died."
    >> It's sad to realize Cordelia was probably mourning herself watching it as much as Doyle.
    It jumped out at me that she turned the video off before Doyle got to the "Am I done now?" line that was the real waterworks moment when they replayed the tape at the end of that first season episode.

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