Episode Review A:TS 4.01
So, selenak sent me the entirety of Angel Season 4 on DVD. Just 'cause. 1) She is officially a goddess, and 2) I'm going to sit down and do a series of 'first reaction'-type reviews as I watch each episode. I technically know what happens in the season because I read the outlines etc when it was being aired, but I haven't actually watched it. And, erm, it was about three years ago that I read them, so I'm going with this being a first viewing.
OMG, Wesley, I lub you!! *squees*
*cough*
Things I liked:
1) Wesley.
Wesley Wesley Wesley. Mmmmm, Wesley. He looks scrumptious, especially when he's post-coital. All glowy and enigmatic mmmmmmm. Aherm. Although I knew that he was keeping Justine in his closet, I sort of pictured something a little bit squallid and not the shiny-metal-chains-bucket thing he had going on. That really rocked, 'cause it had such an air of permanency about it. It didn't shout 'short term scare tactic'; it was all rather pratical, like her existence - and he fear - was almost irrelevant. All he really wanted the information, and he had this lab set up to contain the thing that housed the info, like he'd set up a CD case to house a CD. All very clinical and deeply scary.
Then, of course, there was the whole Lilah thing happening, and how messy the post-coital-ness looked. Not remotely like the previous bits of sex we've seen on the Angel-verse and Buffy-verse. The sheets were messed up, they were all sweaty, and Lilah's hair was a mess, and Wesley clearly wearing only jeans when going to the closet afterwards? What, you mean he was naked when having sex? Perish the thought. *grin* I love how he's not really using Lilah that I could see, but keeping her on a back-burner. He's not shagging her for info on Angel, he's just shagging her. The lack of reasons for it makes it very interesting.
Moving on to the boat scene, with Justine trying to hit him with the wrench - "I'll take away your bucket." *shiver* Eeeeevil!Wesley!
Rescuing Angel - I loved how gently Wesley removed Angel's hand from his throat. He didn't panic, he didn't clutch. He just eased him down, completely in control. Afterwards, when he decides to feed Angel human blood, and you think he's going to feed him Justine - when you're wishing he'd feed him Justine - and he doesn't, it really hits quite hard just how messed up Wesley really is. Or, how messed up the viewer is, maybe, because you're hoping that he'd kill this woman in retribution. Now, as someone dead set again capital punishment it really struck me that I was rooting for Justien to get eaten, and - why? because it would be justice. Only it wouldn't, would it? It would be revenge. Justine hurt someone I care about, and in my head, she's disposable. So, Wesley not killing her really made me pause. Like - it wasn't acceptable. And - well, it made his actions a lot more real than they would otherwise have been. I mean, take a slave girl, kill her, kill vampires, save the world - all very par for the course in the TV- or computer game-world. But Wesley doesn't want to do things that are morally objectionable unless he feels that they are necessary, and he feels responsible for them (otherwise why not feed Justine to Angel), so the fact that he kept Justine chained up for the summer is going to come back and bite his conscience.
Oh, and he's sleeping with Lilah. So, like I said, messed up. *hugs him*
In conclusion, "he'll need more blood. I'm fresh out." = best exit line ever. Uber-sacrificial!Wesley. *pets*
2) Angel and Connor
"Daddy's not finished talking" - Seeing as how I spent the episode thinking, "Connor, you judgemental, self-centred little piece of shit, you need to be told what's what" - and then Angel does, I practically died from the squee. I loved that whole conversation, especially the bit where Angel asks what Connor deserves - and telling him to sit down! I didn't really see any evidence of parenting skills displayed by Angel in S3, so this was a nice surprise. Actually, no - it would be the same tone he took with William and with Drusilla when he wanted them to behave, and it's the same tone the Master takes. So, there's more of a threat to it than a purely parental tone, but, then, seeing as how Angel has no parental tone (and n0 16+ years of enforcing it), that's to be expected. He can't command Connor as a father, so he has to dominate him. Which is dirty and wrong, yeah, but I still squealed.
3) Lilah
She rocks. 'Nuff said. The whole conference room scene was amazing, and the decapitation-by-palmpilot? I want one!!
Things I didn't like:
1) Gunn and Fred
OMG, please stop smooching it's making me sick. In fact, if Fred could stop grinning mindlessly and playing the helpless maiden the entire time I'd really appreciate it. It set my teeth on edge
2)Gunn and Fred as clueless parents
Just as annoying as the smooching was the utter inability to see that Connor was pulling the wool over their eyes. Gunn was just crap, period, and Fred was twice as wet. Bleargh.
3) Cordelia
Or, rather, Angel's obsession with her. Ick. That's his kill-or-not question for Connor? That's what he needs? Ick. Still not an Angel/Cordy shipper. The lovey-dovey smoochies during Angel's hallucination just made it all worse.
An overall rating for the episode: 7/10 and a general thumbs up.
In other news, I spent Easter with my parents and it was generally lovely. I am full of cake and chocolate. *floats away, a la Aunt Marge*
OMG, Wesley, I lub you!! *squees*
*cough*
Things I liked:
1) Wesley.
Wesley Wesley Wesley. Mmmmm, Wesley. He looks scrumptious, especially when he's post-coital. All glowy and enigmatic mmmmmmm. Aherm. Although I knew that he was keeping Justine in his closet, I sort of pictured something a little bit squallid and not the shiny-metal-chains-bucket thing he had going on. That really rocked, 'cause it had such an air of permanency about it. It didn't shout 'short term scare tactic'; it was all rather pratical, like her existence - and he fear - was almost irrelevant. All he really wanted the information, and he had this lab set up to contain the thing that housed the info, like he'd set up a CD case to house a CD. All very clinical and deeply scary.
Then, of course, there was the whole Lilah thing happening, and how messy the post-coital-ness looked. Not remotely like the previous bits of sex we've seen on the Angel-verse and Buffy-verse. The sheets were messed up, they were all sweaty, and Lilah's hair was a mess, and Wesley clearly wearing only jeans when going to the closet afterwards? What, you mean he was naked when having sex? Perish the thought. *grin* I love how he's not really using Lilah that I could see, but keeping her on a back-burner. He's not shagging her for info on Angel, he's just shagging her. The lack of reasons for it makes it very interesting.
Moving on to the boat scene, with Justine trying to hit him with the wrench - "I'll take away your bucket." *shiver* Eeeeevil!Wesley!
Rescuing Angel - I loved how gently Wesley removed Angel's hand from his throat. He didn't panic, he didn't clutch. He just eased him down, completely in control. Afterwards, when he decides to feed Angel human blood, and you think he's going to feed him Justine - when you're wishing he'd feed him Justine - and he doesn't, it really hits quite hard just how messed up Wesley really is. Or, how messed up the viewer is, maybe, because you're hoping that he'd kill this woman in retribution. Now, as someone dead set again capital punishment it really struck me that I was rooting for Justien to get eaten, and - why? because it would be justice. Only it wouldn't, would it? It would be revenge. Justine hurt someone I care about, and in my head, she's disposable. So, Wesley not killing her really made me pause. Like - it wasn't acceptable. And - well, it made his actions a lot more real than they would otherwise have been. I mean, take a slave girl, kill her, kill vampires, save the world - all very par for the course in the TV- or computer game-world. But Wesley doesn't want to do things that are morally objectionable unless he feels that they are necessary, and he feels responsible for them (otherwise why not feed Justine to Angel), so the fact that he kept Justine chained up for the summer is going to come back and bite his conscience.
Oh, and he's sleeping with Lilah. So, like I said, messed up. *hugs him*
In conclusion, "he'll need more blood. I'm fresh out." = best exit line ever. Uber-sacrificial!Wesley. *pets*
2) Angel and Connor
"Daddy's not finished talking" - Seeing as how I spent the episode thinking, "Connor, you judgemental, self-centred little piece of shit, you need to be told what's what" - and then Angel does, I practically died from the squee. I loved that whole conversation, especially the bit where Angel asks what Connor deserves - and telling him to sit down! I didn't really see any evidence of parenting skills displayed by Angel in S3, so this was a nice surprise. Actually, no - it would be the same tone he took with William and with Drusilla when he wanted them to behave, and it's the same tone the Master takes. So, there's more of a threat to it than a purely parental tone, but, then, seeing as how Angel has no parental tone (and n0 16+ years of enforcing it), that's to be expected. He can't command Connor as a father, so he has to dominate him. Which is dirty and wrong, yeah, but I still squealed.
3) Lilah
She rocks. 'Nuff said. The whole conference room scene was amazing, and the decapitation-by-palmpilot? I want one!!
Things I didn't like:
1) Gunn and Fred
OMG, please stop smooching it's making me sick. In fact, if Fred could stop grinning mindlessly and playing the helpless maiden the entire time I'd really appreciate it. It set my teeth on edge
2)Gunn and Fred as clueless parents
Just as annoying as the smooching was the utter inability to see that Connor was pulling the wool over their eyes. Gunn was just crap, period, and Fred was twice as wet. Bleargh.
3) Cordelia
Or, rather, Angel's obsession with her. Ick. That's his kill-or-not question for Connor? That's what he needs? Ick. Still not an Angel/Cordy shipper. The lovey-dovey smoochies during Angel's hallucination just made it all worse.
An overall rating for the episode: 7/10 and a general thumbs up.
In other news, I spent Easter with my parents and it was generally lovely. I am full of cake and chocolate. *floats away, a la Aunt Marge*