I always gotta hug you-know-who-but-not-said-for-spoiler-reasons when I see "The Body". It's really fucked up how just...how shit like that just happens. The episode was too real.
Another favorite scene for me is everyone's reaction to Lindsey singing.
Especially Angel's.
That was actually a pretty important scene, in the long run of the series. It helped reinforce the "shades of gray" undertone that show wanted to deal with.
On the surface Angel was about "Fight the Good Fight" as a theme. Good vs Evil, all that. But in watching it, you sort of start to see that immediately below the surface of that theme is another theme, where things are exactly the opposite. You want there to be a White vs Black, Light vs Dark aspect, but it's not really there. It's all shades of gray, which makes the "Good Fight" a lot harder, because what's really the right thing to do, in a world without absolutes, and where the source of ultimate evil is the potential for evil in all living souls?
Shit like that and S2's "Reprise" really set the tone of the series for me.
:^: I've never really analyzed that episode until you said this.
I shall say Thank you, and watch Angel with my wife tonight.
Yeah, to Angel and co Lindsay was an asshole and a bad guy. To Lorne? He was nice to have around.
Season 1 is all about establishing the meta-story and primary theme of Angel. Season 2 immediately subverts the primary theme with the secondary theme (that while there is an Ultimate Good and an Ultimate Evil, which side you're on and who's side you're helping is a lot grayer for most people). Season 3 explores it a bit deeper, and starts exploring "actions and consequences" with episodes like "Billy" and "Offspring" and entire Holtz arc. Season 4 is basically just a season long Empire Strikes Back. Things start bad, get just better enough to get bad again, and sort of go up and down a very short spectrum of "Things really suck" to "Things only mostly suck."
Season 5 sort of brings it around full circle. It touches on all the major themes (there's some Good vs Evil, some shades of gray, and some actions have consequences). Tone and mood jump around a bit, and in the end, the story ends exactly as it should for a Champion.
Wasn't season 3 the one with most of the flashbacks? I mean, both season 2 and 3 had tons of them, but I seem to recall 3 having more, because of Holtz.
Holtz was great, up until he came back. Then he pretty much pissed me off.
For some reason Sahjan really seemed like he belonged on Charmed instead of Angel. I like a lot of his arc, but the character himself really felt out of place.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds.2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
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JuliusCaptain of Serenityon my shipRegistered Userregular
man I'm watching the first season of Buffy again and damn this is really really 90s. Like, really 90s.
Also, those vampires sure change a lot for being immortal creatures.
For some reason Sahjan really seemed like he belonged on Charmed instead of Angel. I like a lot of his arc, but the character himself really felt out of place.
I get that. He walks around and talks like he's on Charmed, that show did have a lot less action and their villains were kinda like that. Until he turns out to be incredibly evil of course.
Also, wiki tells me Nathan Fillion auditioned for the role of Angel.
For some reason Sahjan really seemed like he belonged on Charmed instead of Angel. I like a lot of his arc, but the character himself really felt out of place.
I can see that point. Him being incorporeal made him too weak of a threat, and he never really seemed to have a good plan going for him. Holtz was awesome though.
Wesley is one of the best characters in all fiction ever. True story, and definitely my favorite character from the Angel/Buffy universe.
I like how angels dislike of cellphones was a recurring gag for the first couple seasons of Angel.
It's such a great plot device, but well built into the character of somebody who has lived for so long without them. I also like the time he did take it and it just died on him, or the service would be shitty.
I like how angels dislike of cellphones was a recurring gag for the first couple seasons of Angel.
It's such a great plot device, but well built into the character of somebody who has lived for so long without them. I also like the time he did take it and it just died on him, or the service would be shitty.
I always loved when they played off his age. Cause really, he's a fucking old guy.
Like at the end of S2 where they are in the fancy restaurant and he's bitching about how expensive everything is nowadays ("in my day, you could....!"). Or when he's super excited about old movies or the like.
Actually cellphones kinda screw up a lot of shows from what I've seen, and the writers make some weird plot device to get rid of them.
"We need to get hold of the Doctor!" "We can't! The Purple Maroon is emitting an anticellphone wave which discombobulates the signal!" "Damn him!"
I'm far more annoyed when cell phones are used as magical technology that solves all problems.
"Hey, I'm sending you a file to your cell. Go ahead and decrypt it and run a search comparing it to all similar files ever sent by anyone over the last five years and then use your cell to hack into the DMV database and see if you can find any matching faces and then tell me where the bad guy is using your GPS technology. Let me know when you're-"
"Already done, here you go."
It's a cell phone, people, not a Cray built by wizards.
I submitted an entry to Lego Ideas, and if 10,000 people support me, it'll be turned into an actual Lego set!If you'd like to see and support my submission, follow this link.
Actually cellphones kinda screw up a lot of shows from what I've seen, and the writers make some weird plot device to get rid of them.
"We need to get hold of the Doctor!" "We can't! The Purple Maroon is emitting an anticellphone wave which discombobulates the signal!" "Damn him!"
I'm far more annoyed when cell phones are used as magical technology that solves all problems.
"Hey, I'm sending you a file to your cell. Go ahead and decrypt it and run a search comparing it to all similar files ever sent by anyone over the last five years and then use your cell to hack into the DMV database and see if you can find any matching faces and then tell me where the bad guy is using your GPS technology. Let me know when you're-"
"Already done, here you go."
It's a cell phone, people, not a Cray built by wizards.
So all these TV shows really are low fantasy, since a wizard did it.
Superstar was a funny episode. I watched it for the first time on DVD with my wife (who has watched the DVDs many times.) and I turned to her and said "...did I miss something?" Good fun times.
Beer bad was the one with the neanderthals wasn't it? It wasn't horrible, just stupid.
Wait, who hates "Superstar"? I've never heard of it being a widely hated episode, unlike "Beer Bad".
Though "Beer Bad" does have one bit at the end that I do really like in an otherwise weak episode:
Xander: And was there a lesson in all this, huh? What did we learn about beer?
Buffy: Foamy!
Xander: Good. Just as long as that's clear.
It loses something in being typed out, but Xander's delivery makes it work. Plus, it pretty much makes fun of the "Very Special Episode"-ness of the rest of the show.
Captain Tragedy on
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ElJeffeRoaming the streets, waving his mod gun around.Moderator, ClubPAMod Emeritus
Beer Bad was terrible.
It was the only episode of anything Whedon where after I watched it I thought, "God, that was just awful."
I submitted an entry to Lego Ideas, and if 10,000 people support me, it'll be turned into an actual Lego set!If you'd like to see and support my submission, follow this link.
Beer Bad, iirc, was their attempt to jump on the wagon of "If you do an episode of your show that serves as a PSA, the federal gov't will give you $$$"
And the episode did such a horrible job of it, they didn't get any money for it.
This thin layer of irony makes the episode tolerable, for me. Still the worst thing I've ever seen Whedon do.
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I'm getting all misty just thinking about it.
Shit yes that episode was awesome. That and a dream episode before, where you think everything's gonna be all good but NOPE!
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
:^: I've never really analyzed that episode until you said this.
I shall say Thank you, and watch Angel with my wife tonight.
3DS: 1521-4165-5907
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Live: Kayle Solo
WiiU: KayleSolo
Season 1 is all about establishing the meta-story and primary theme of Angel. Season 2 immediately subverts the primary theme with the secondary theme (that while there is an Ultimate Good and an Ultimate Evil, which side you're on and who's side you're helping is a lot grayer for most people). Season 3 explores it a bit deeper, and starts exploring "actions and consequences" with episodes like "Billy" and "Offspring" and entire Holtz arc. Season 4 is basically just a season long Empire Strikes Back. Things start bad, get just better enough to get bad again, and sort of go up and down a very short spectrum of "Things really suck" to "Things only mostly suck."
Season 5 sort of brings it around full circle. It touches on all the major themes (there's some Good vs Evil, some shades of gray, and some actions have consequences). Tone and mood jump around a bit, and in the end, the story ends exactly as it should for a Champion.
I'm not really sure why I disliked S3, though. It just seemed to drag on.
Really? I loved Holtz and Sahjan.
Holtz was great, up until he came back. Then he pretty much pissed me off.
I agree with you there. Season 3 is the worst of the lot. I think that's also partly due to it ending on a huge downer.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Also, those vampires sure change a lot for being immortal creatures.
I get that. He walks around and talks like he's on Charmed, that show did have a lot less action and their villains were kinda like that. Until he turns out to be incredibly evil of course.
Also, wiki tells me Nathan Fillion auditioned for the role of Angel.
I can see that point. Him being incorporeal made him too weak of a threat, and he never really seemed to have a good plan going for him. Holtz was awesome though.
Wesley is one of the best characters in all fiction ever. True story, and definitely my favorite character from the Angel/Buffy universe.
Reminds me of...
Fight Club spoiler in that video, BTW, in case you're like the last person on earth who hasn't seen it (and would care).
It's such a great plot device, but well built into the character of somebody who has lived for so long without them. I also like the time he did take it and it just died on him, or the service would be shitty.
Plus it was incredibly in character not only for him to find them incredibly annoying, but for that fact to be incredibly annoying to Cordy.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
Not in the 90s. In the 90s cell phones were for grown ups.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
"We need to get hold of the Doctor!" "We can't! The Purple Maroon is emitting an anticellphone wave which discombobulates the signal!" "Damn him!"
I always loved when they played off his age. Cause really, he's a fucking old guy.
Like at the end of S2 where they are in the fancy restaurant and he's bitching about how expensive everything is nowadays ("in my day, you could....!"). Or when he's super excited about old movies or the like.
That is the only episode that I flat out hated. There are some I don't care for, others that could have been better, but that one I just hate.
3DS: 1521-4165-5907
PS3: KayleSolo
Live: Kayle Solo
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I'm far more annoyed when cell phones are used as magical technology that solves all problems.
"Hey, I'm sending you a file to your cell. Go ahead and decrypt it and run a search comparing it to all similar files ever sent by anyone over the last five years and then use your cell to hack into the DMV database and see if you can find any matching faces and then tell me where the bad guy is using your GPS technology. Let me know when you're-"
"Already done, here you go."
It's a cell phone, people, not a Cray built by wizards.
So all these TV shows really are low fantasy, since a wizard did it.
I always thought everyone hated "Super Star".
Remind me which one that is.
Wait, people hated that one? I thought it was fun. Not excellent, but fun.
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Live: Kayle Solo
WiiU: KayleSolo
Beer bad was the one with the neanderthals wasn't it? It wasn't horrible, just stupid.
Though "Beer Bad" does have one bit at the end that I do really like in an otherwise weak episode:
Xander: And was there a lesson in all this, huh? What did we learn about beer?
Buffy: Foamy!
Xander: Good. Just as long as that's clear.
It loses something in being typed out, but Xander's delivery makes it work. Plus, it pretty much makes fun of the "Very Special Episode"-ness of the rest of the show.
It was the only episode of anything Whedon where after I watched it I thought, "God, that was just awful."
And the episode did such a horrible job of it, they didn't get any money for it.
This thin layer of irony makes the episode tolerable, for me. Still the worst thing I've ever seen Whedon do.