What I LOVE About Cordelia/Angel
I promised, and I shall deliver! This is a list of everything I love about Cordelia/Angel, as a couple.
Firstly, I love how they come together in the first place. How coincidence brings them together and that, by even further coincidence, they remain that way. S1 is my favorite scene of the whole series, despite its often superficial and anvil-heavy plots, but the characters are so innocent and untouched and, in light of the future, the sweetness of it just aches.
I love that they confide in each other. As early as The Bachelor Party, when Cordelia tells Angel how she's beginning to feel something for Doyle, and Angel steeples his fingers and really listens to her. I hate the sweater he's wearing, but I forbear. I even love in s3, when he tells her his secret fears of raising Connor and having girl talks and whatever with him. I won't touch on her response, because this is supposed to be a nice review. I also love the discussion they have about Buffy, in Hearthrob, and how he quietly admits his getting-over-it stuff.
I love their mutual desire for pretty and/or luxurious things. I love that Angel is as willing to spend $200 on a pair of shoes as Cordelia is. In my little schmoopy heart, somewhere along the line, Cordelia taught Angel to internet shop and wackiness ensued. I think that, in the beginning, it's probably one of the few things they had in common. Angel is as much as a label snob as she is (on a side note, I also have label-snob tendencies when I have the cash, so I think it's one of the things that attracts me to both characters). Oh, my heart. Personally, Angel wearing his shirttail out all of the time makes me think of him as a pretty sloppy dresser-- and I, being a little preppy myself, enjoy all the crisp, pastel suits Wesley used to wear so I don't know how much credence my fashion sense has-- but I imagine he had his own special tailor and probably shopped at Neiman Marcus. I bet Cordelia would do the same, given the opportunity, and I hope that Angel was insightful and kind enough to buy her fancy clothes every once in a while. Disharmony-- yay! :)
I love that they respect and cherish each other's opinions and seek out each other for advice. I guess this links back to the Connor scene of s3-- I think it's Tomorrow, actually, when all of that happens-- because I find it endearing, that someone as old as Angel would appeal to Cordelia and actually trust her judgment. I imagine that they shared advice with other quite often, from things as simple as "what color shirt should I wear" to "how should I deal with Wesley being dumb" or some other hypothetical situation. Not that I find Wesley dumb or anything.
I love that Angel is frusted by and a little afraid of Cordelia. I love that, most of the time, he has absolutely no idea how to respond to her. She never follows the script he has in his head, and that amuses me to no end. Like in Dead End, where she says "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" and he stumbles because he's in such a hurry to get out of there and a safe distance from unpredictable female emotion (which I guess is not only applicable to Cordelia, but shush). Also, in Sense and Sensitivity, when he awkwardly tries to thank her for going over coroner reports and she says "LAME" and his face falls. I like, too, in Parting Gifts, where she carelessly describes the "gray blobby thing" and he slams his hands on his desk because he can't stand her nonchalance. It's realistic; of course he would get frustrated with her, but he would get over it.
I love that Cordelia continuously glosses over his anger and frustration with her. In s2, when she says "god, you are really unpleasant" and he threatens to fire her in that strange way, and she just sticks her tongue out at him? Love it. And to harken back to the Parting Gifts scene, even when he starts slamming things around, she just kind of looks at him oddly. Haha. Funny!
I love that Cordelia calls Angel on all of his bullshit. One of the most appealing thing about their relationship, I think, was that Cordelia constantly made fun of Angel and his melodramatic tendencies. One of the things I hated at the end of the run was, while before she consistently kept him from putting himself above everyone, she actually started enabling him in that behavior. Ugh. But at the beginning, she would always just make fun of him. I enjoy making fun of Angel, too. I'm noticing now how prevalent that is in all of my favorite moments.
I love that they trust each other wholeheartedly and unconditionally. I'm not saying that, if Cordelia had kidnapped Connor, she wouldn't be lying alone in her apartment with her throat cut like Wesley. But Angel was perfectly willing to share all of those dark deadly things with her-- like Somnambulist (boy, if you had seen how I spelled that the first time), when he has no qualms about telling her the things that he dreamt were pleasurable or what have you. I hardly imagine he would have ever said anything of the sort to Buffy, at least not so explicitly, but perhaps I don't give Angel enough credit on that count, so I don't know how well that argument stands. I guess it's reasonable that it could just being Angel growing up and accepting who is, too. Moving on. But their trust in one another is pretty evident throughout all of You're Welcome. Oh, and that scene in Judgment, where she tells him that it's not over but she'll be there. I should transcribe this stuff, or at least look it up, but I'm just too lazy.
I love how much they touch each other. Not in a sexual way, like Spike and Buffy, but just casually and without all of that heavy-handed meaning. It speaks of how comfortable they are with one another. And, I guess, they had to adjust pretty quickly with all of Angel's gut wounds and Cordelia flailing around with the visions all the time. But still. The hand-holding and back-patting and all of that stuff is just so affectionate and real.
I love that they teach other things, like compassion and trust and humor. I love how fiercely loyal they are to one another-- even in season 1, Cordelia constantly stresses how she won't leave or immediately discredit Angel. Somnambulist again comes to mind, when Wesley comes charging in with all of those accusations flying around his head, and Cordelia fiercely says: "Okay, you have to leave now" and proceeds to tell Wesley how good Angel is, how he's her friend, and he can just stop it right there. I know that changes on a dime a moment later, but still. The sentiment is present. And for Angel's example, all through the end of s2, when he's pretty much doing all he can to try and get back on Cordelia's good side. He betrayed her, yes, but he fought tooth and nail to get back to her. For a while at least, because: clothes!
My Favorite Moments, in no particular order:
1) To Shanshu in LA. Every single interaction. Really, this is hands-down my favorite Angel episode, because there is so much character growth and by the end, all of them are just glowing with the sense of family and loyalty and love (Wesley too, of course). God.
2) Parting Gifts. How much they care about each other, and want to help each other. Because Cordelia hugs Angel and says "I never doubted for a second you'd find me," because I think it was exactly what he needed to hear at the time and she knew that. Also, his surprised expression. Whee! This is another one of my top Angel episodes. I know. I have weird favorites.
3) Expecting. The ending. Angel and Cordelia's little matching smile as Wesley sniffs.
4) She. Angel attending a party for Cordelia's sake. Also, her convincing him to do something as stupid as try and smoosh coffee beans and he actually going along with it. What a doofus.
5) Hero. The hug at the end, and how upset both of them are, and that they just hug each other and don't say anything. Angel and Cordelia work so much better when subtle.
5b) (I left this one out by accident) I've Got You Under My Skin. The beginning, after Angel calls Wesley "Doyle," and how Cordelia forces him to talk it out. "I'm not unflappable." "So, flap!"
6) Sanctuary. Him signing something for her without even reading it, and then not even arguing about the paid vacation. Not particularly deep, I know, but I just think it's funny.
7) Judgment. The couch scene, with Angel losing sight of the mission in the glow of the reward, and her confidence and loyalty to him. Also, the cinammon exchange is cute.
8) The Thin Dead Line. The ending, where she says "now do us a favor, and stay away." Not a happy moment, but it makes me so proud that Cordelia doesn't stand down to Angel, and that he doesn't even argue with her. He just leaves.
9) Disharmony. The ENDING omg. Dancing! La-la-la-la! The little running thing she does, and how Angel just grins, shrugs, and walks out.
10) Over the Rainbow. Not any moment in particular, just how adamant Angel is about going after her. "I just got her back."
11) Reprise. How she doesn't stand down to him until Wesley demands her to. How, even as angry as she is, she keeps throwing little sarcastic insults. How Angel gets in her space. I don't know, I just like the scene. They're both so bull-headed.
12) Heartthrob. The hug at the beginning. In the sewers, Cordelia throwing her arms around Angel, frightened, as he stares up at the ceiling with that so very put-upon expression of irritation. How he eventually does open up to her about Buffy.
13) Birthday. I like Birthday for strange reasons. I think it completely out of character that this version of Cordelia, miss sitcom star, would ever really give a flying fuck about Angel and his vision-induced insanity. But I do like the kiss, I guess, because it's pretty and I have a weakness for crazy!Angel.
14) Forgiving. When Angel objects to Fred calling Cordelia. I think this is largely due to DB's acting, because he really owns that scene. But it rings true that he knows Cordelia will probably be the most devastated, other than himself, and I think it would really drive home the reality that he lost his son.
15) Double or Nothing. The chin-shoulder moment at the beginning-- both of them look so miserable it just hurts me-- and then how Cordelia comforts him not with words but just with her presence. Even if I do find it a bit odd that she decides to read a book, but as I'm typing that I realize she was probably researching. Okay, that makes sense now.
16) Provider. I hesitate to put this on there, but then I see an icon of that moment at the end and I just sigh. They really were happy, then. But the episode was bad, except for the gag about Angel and his voicemail. It never fails to make me laugh when that guy yells "I think it's your voicemail!" and Angel just gets pissed. Haha!
17) Awakening. I know, I just ragged on the episode, but I like a lot of it in context for what it says about Angel and his perceptions of those around him, and even himself. But I put this here because of the kiss in the cave. When Angel says "stop talking" and Cordelia says "okay." That "okay" just kills me. Ha!
18) The Magic Bullet. I just love this episode, in general, and Angel's bedside "I'm so sorry" is very sincere and makes me feel very, very sorry for both of them. What a terrible thing to have to endure.
19) You're Welcome. The hugging scene at the hospital: how he really squeezes her, so much you can see his hands press into her. How all of them are just smiling the entire time. "I am lost without you." The ending. The fact that I can hear the tears in her voice as she says "I'll be seeing you" makes me cry every time. And I really love the blurry out-of-focus telephone shot. As my icon states. Also, how she smiles as she says "you're welcome," but an instant before the camera switches you see her face crumble. Oh, it breaks my heart.
OTP for life, yo.
Firstly, I love how they come together in the first place. How coincidence brings them together and that, by even further coincidence, they remain that way. S1 is my favorite scene of the whole series, despite its often superficial and anvil-heavy plots, but the characters are so innocent and untouched and, in light of the future, the sweetness of it just aches.
I love that they confide in each other. As early as The Bachelor Party, when Cordelia tells Angel how she's beginning to feel something for Doyle, and Angel steeples his fingers and really listens to her. I hate the sweater he's wearing, but I forbear. I even love in s3, when he tells her his secret fears of raising Connor and having girl talks and whatever with him. I won't touch on her response, because this is supposed to be a nice review. I also love the discussion they have about Buffy, in Hearthrob, and how he quietly admits his getting-over-it stuff.
I love their mutual desire for pretty and/or luxurious things. I love that Angel is as willing to spend $200 on a pair of shoes as Cordelia is. In my little schmoopy heart, somewhere along the line, Cordelia taught Angel to internet shop and wackiness ensued. I think that, in the beginning, it's probably one of the few things they had in common. Angel is as much as a label snob as she is (on a side note, I also have label-snob tendencies when I have the cash, so I think it's one of the things that attracts me to both characters). Oh, my heart. Personally, Angel wearing his shirttail out all of the time makes me think of him as a pretty sloppy dresser-- and I, being a little preppy myself, enjoy all the crisp, pastel suits Wesley used to wear so I don't know how much credence my fashion sense has-- but I imagine he had his own special tailor and probably shopped at Neiman Marcus. I bet Cordelia would do the same, given the opportunity, and I hope that Angel was insightful and kind enough to buy her fancy clothes every once in a while. Disharmony-- yay! :)
I love that they respect and cherish each other's opinions and seek out each other for advice. I guess this links back to the Connor scene of s3-- I think it's Tomorrow, actually, when all of that happens-- because I find it endearing, that someone as old as Angel would appeal to Cordelia and actually trust her judgment. I imagine that they shared advice with other quite often, from things as simple as "what color shirt should I wear" to "how should I deal with Wesley being dumb" or some other hypothetical situation. Not that I find Wesley dumb or anything.
I love that Angel is frusted by and a little afraid of Cordelia. I love that, most of the time, he has absolutely no idea how to respond to her. She never follows the script he has in his head, and that amuses me to no end. Like in Dead End, where she says "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" and he stumbles because he's in such a hurry to get out of there and a safe distance from unpredictable female emotion (which I guess is not only applicable to Cordelia, but shush). Also, in Sense and Sensitivity, when he awkwardly tries to thank her for going over coroner reports and she says "LAME" and his face falls. I like, too, in Parting Gifts, where she carelessly describes the "gray blobby thing" and he slams his hands on his desk because he can't stand her nonchalance. It's realistic; of course he would get frustrated with her, but he would get over it.
I love that Cordelia continuously glosses over his anger and frustration with her. In s2, when she says "god, you are really unpleasant" and he threatens to fire her in that strange way, and she just sticks her tongue out at him? Love it. And to harken back to the Parting Gifts scene, even when he starts slamming things around, she just kind of looks at him oddly. Haha. Funny!
I love that Cordelia calls Angel on all of his bullshit. One of the most appealing thing about their relationship, I think, was that Cordelia constantly made fun of Angel and his melodramatic tendencies. One of the things I hated at the end of the run was, while before she consistently kept him from putting himself above everyone, she actually started enabling him in that behavior. Ugh. But at the beginning, she would always just make fun of him. I enjoy making fun of Angel, too. I'm noticing now how prevalent that is in all of my favorite moments.
I love that they trust each other wholeheartedly and unconditionally. I'm not saying that, if Cordelia had kidnapped Connor, she wouldn't be lying alone in her apartment with her throat cut like Wesley. But Angel was perfectly willing to share all of those dark deadly things with her-- like Somnambulist (boy, if you had seen how I spelled that the first time), when he has no qualms about telling her the things that he dreamt were pleasurable or what have you. I hardly imagine he would have ever said anything of the sort to Buffy, at least not so explicitly, but perhaps I don't give Angel enough credit on that count, so I don't know how well that argument stands. I guess it's reasonable that it could just being Angel growing up and accepting who is, too. Moving on. But their trust in one another is pretty evident throughout all of You're Welcome. Oh, and that scene in Judgment, where she tells him that it's not over but she'll be there. I should transcribe this stuff, or at least look it up, but I'm just too lazy.
I love how much they touch each other. Not in a sexual way, like Spike and Buffy, but just casually and without all of that heavy-handed meaning. It speaks of how comfortable they are with one another. And, I guess, they had to adjust pretty quickly with all of Angel's gut wounds and Cordelia flailing around with the visions all the time. But still. The hand-holding and back-patting and all of that stuff is just so affectionate and real.
I love that they teach other things, like compassion and trust and humor. I love how fiercely loyal they are to one another-- even in season 1, Cordelia constantly stresses how she won't leave or immediately discredit Angel. Somnambulist again comes to mind, when Wesley comes charging in with all of those accusations flying around his head, and Cordelia fiercely says: "Okay, you have to leave now" and proceeds to tell Wesley how good Angel is, how he's her friend, and he can just stop it right there. I know that changes on a dime a moment later, but still. The sentiment is present. And for Angel's example, all through the end of s2, when he's pretty much doing all he can to try and get back on Cordelia's good side. He betrayed her, yes, but he fought tooth and nail to get back to her. For a while at least, because: clothes!
My Favorite Moments, in no particular order:
1) To Shanshu in LA. Every single interaction. Really, this is hands-down my favorite Angel episode, because there is so much character growth and by the end, all of them are just glowing with the sense of family and loyalty and love (Wesley too, of course). God.
2) Parting Gifts. How much they care about each other, and want to help each other. Because Cordelia hugs Angel and says "I never doubted for a second you'd find me," because I think it was exactly what he needed to hear at the time and she knew that. Also, his surprised expression. Whee! This is another one of my top Angel episodes. I know. I have weird favorites.
3) Expecting. The ending. Angel and Cordelia's little matching smile as Wesley sniffs.
4) She. Angel attending a party for Cordelia's sake. Also, her convincing him to do something as stupid as try and smoosh coffee beans and he actually going along with it. What a doofus.
5) Hero. The hug at the end, and how upset both of them are, and that they just hug each other and don't say anything. Angel and Cordelia work so much better when subtle.
5b) (I left this one out by accident) I've Got You Under My Skin. The beginning, after Angel calls Wesley "Doyle," and how Cordelia forces him to talk it out. "I'm not unflappable." "So, flap!"
6) Sanctuary. Him signing something for her without even reading it, and then not even arguing about the paid vacation. Not particularly deep, I know, but I just think it's funny.
7) Judgment. The couch scene, with Angel losing sight of the mission in the glow of the reward, and her confidence and loyalty to him. Also, the cinammon exchange is cute.
8) The Thin Dead Line. The ending, where she says "now do us a favor, and stay away." Not a happy moment, but it makes me so proud that Cordelia doesn't stand down to Angel, and that he doesn't even argue with her. He just leaves.
9) Disharmony. The ENDING omg. Dancing! La-la-la-la! The little running thing she does, and how Angel just grins, shrugs, and walks out.
10) Over the Rainbow. Not any moment in particular, just how adamant Angel is about going after her. "I just got her back."
11) Reprise. How she doesn't stand down to him until Wesley demands her to. How, even as angry as she is, she keeps throwing little sarcastic insults. How Angel gets in her space. I don't know, I just like the scene. They're both so bull-headed.
12) Heartthrob. The hug at the beginning. In the sewers, Cordelia throwing her arms around Angel, frightened, as he stares up at the ceiling with that so very put-upon expression of irritation. How he eventually does open up to her about Buffy.
13) Birthday. I like Birthday for strange reasons. I think it completely out of character that this version of Cordelia, miss sitcom star, would ever really give a flying fuck about Angel and his vision-induced insanity. But I do like the kiss, I guess, because it's pretty and I have a weakness for crazy!Angel.
14) Forgiving. When Angel objects to Fred calling Cordelia. I think this is largely due to DB's acting, because he really owns that scene. But it rings true that he knows Cordelia will probably be the most devastated, other than himself, and I think it would really drive home the reality that he lost his son.
15) Double or Nothing. The chin-shoulder moment at the beginning-- both of them look so miserable it just hurts me-- and then how Cordelia comforts him not with words but just with her presence. Even if I do find it a bit odd that she decides to read a book, but as I'm typing that I realize she was probably researching. Okay, that makes sense now.
16) Provider. I hesitate to put this on there, but then I see an icon of that moment at the end and I just sigh. They really were happy, then. But the episode was bad, except for the gag about Angel and his voicemail. It never fails to make me laugh when that guy yells "I think it's your voicemail!" and Angel just gets pissed. Haha!
17) Awakening. I know, I just ragged on the episode, but I like a lot of it in context for what it says about Angel and his perceptions of those around him, and even himself. But I put this here because of the kiss in the cave. When Angel says "stop talking" and Cordelia says "okay." That "okay" just kills me. Ha!
18) The Magic Bullet. I just love this episode, in general, and Angel's bedside "I'm so sorry" is very sincere and makes me feel very, very sorry for both of them. What a terrible thing to have to endure.
19) You're Welcome. The hugging scene at the hospital: how he really squeezes her, so much you can see his hands press into her. How all of them are just smiling the entire time. "I am lost without you." The ending. The fact that I can hear the tears in her voice as she says "I'll be seeing you" makes me cry every time. And I really love the blurry out-of-focus telephone shot. As my icon states. Also, how she smiles as she says "you're welcome," but an instant before the camera switches you see her face crumble. Oh, it breaks my heart.
OTP for life, yo.