My AtS Rewatch: City of through Hero
thefang_gang recently kicked off a team rewatch of AtS with City of. Given my ambivalence towards AtS, I popped in City of with some trepidation. Much to my surprise, I loved it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, that I rapidly watched the first half of season 1 over the next few days.
The rewatch at thefang_gang consists of a random episode from AtS each week. I wanted to continue in order, so I have decided to post my (brief) thoughts to my journal in chunks as I go. I hope you enjoy my musings.
Lessons Learned So Far
The first time I watched AtS, I had just finished my first viewing of BtVS, which I watched rapidly over three months. I was very sad that I had run out of episodes (144 just wasn't enough), so I excitedly began the next chapter of the Buffyverse. And hated it. Many episodes bored me to tears. The plots seem contrived. The humor was off. None the less, my loyalty to Buffy pushed me to slog through all 5 seasons. There were some bright spots along the way - Darla's arcs, Illyria, The Girl in Question - but I was left with a generally unfavorable feeling about the series. I felt like I was missing something. I even tried a rewatch a few months later but had to stop due to boredom.
Thus, it was with many misgivings that I took a third stab at the show. Boy, am I glad I did. I realize now that I was heavily biased against it the first time around because it wasn't Buffy. AtS is its own thing, and now I'm ready to appreciate it for what it is.
I think that I was more receptive to AtS this time around partly because of Season 8. Given everything that has happened to Angel in Season 8, I wanted to go back and see what he used to be like. I needed to be reminded of why he was a beloved character.
For years, I felt like a bad Buffy fan for not liking AtS. It may never be equal to BtVS for me, but I don't feel like a bad fan anymore.
City of...
This episode was a revelation for me. I've watched it twice before, and this time, I actually enjoyed it. The episode does a good job of establishing Angel's world. It's a simple premise: Vampire with a soul seeks redemption, with the help of two friends. Finding Cordy in the crowd at the party always makes me smile. I'm glad they dropped the voiceovers after this episode, though.
I realized that this episode brings up one hanging plot thread that's never resolved. When Angel asks Doyle why he's helping, Doyle makes a reference to Angel not being the only one who has to atone. We never find out for what Doyle is atoning. I think attributing it to his guilt over being a half demon would be a little thin. I wonder what we would have learned had Doyle stayed on the show.
Lonely Hearts
Ah, Kate Lockley. I liked Kate from the first time I saw her. She is a good antagonist for Angel. She forces him to earn her trust, and even then, she's cautious. Naturally, there are many parallels to Buffy and Angel's early relationship - cute blond, in law enforcement, doesn't take any crap. Still, Kate grows into her own character.
I will take this moment to say that I don't get the running joke about Angel's business cards. I agree with Cordy. They look like angels! If the writers wanted this to be a running joke, they should have drawn them a little worse.
In the Dark
This is the beautiful resumption of the Angel and Spike antagonism. As usual, Spike gets some of the best lines in the show, ie, the opening scene where he mocks Angel from the rooftop. As most of you know, I tend to be more sympathetic to Angel than to Spike, but Spike's snark does make me laugh. This is also a very honest portrayal of Spike and Angel's relationship, ie they're trying to kill each other, not just annoy each other as in S5.
On a Bangel note, I love how disappointed Angel is that Buffy didn't bring the ring herself. He's still hurting pretty badly at this point.
The major flaw in this episode is the destruction of the ring, or rather, the explanation that Angel gives for destroying it. I could accept the ring's destruction if Angel said that more and more demons would be coming to steal it, and he couldn't hold them all off. But destroying the ring to be a better champion? Makes no sense.
I Fall to Pieces
I have to admit, I wasn't really paying attention during this one. The woman who needs saving from her stalker-boyfriend plot is well-trod in this show. They used it only 3 episodes ago. Not much to redeem this episode.
Rm w/a Vu
This is the episode that made me appreciate having Cordelia on the show. Until now, I liked having her around as a familiar face, but here she starts to come into her own. "The bitch is back." Great line, perfectly delivered. Plus, the scene where she shows up at Angel's apartment and won't let him get a word in edgewise had me in stitches. It doesn't hurt that he's only wearing a towel.
Sense & Sensitivity
I've heard some negative opinions of this episode, so I was surprised at how funny it was. By the time I reached this episode, I realized that AtS is generally a funny show. The humor is a bit drier than BtVS, less likely to produce out-and-out lulz, but it's woven into the fabric of every show.
I'm glad that they didn't resolve the tension between Kate and her dad at the end. In fact, they keep him right in character, sweeping the issue under the rug, much to Kate's continued sadness.
Bachelor Party
Another lulzy episode. Also, with some somber moments. Doyle and Harry play their first scene really well. You can feel that they used to love each other and how sad they are to have lost that love and affection.
I Will Remember You
What can I say about this episode? Anyone on my flist knows that I'm a huge Bangel fan, so I've watched this episode countless times. However, since I'm a big softy, I usually shut it off after Angel and Buffy fall asleep in bed together and then go read some fanfic. :) I really had to push myself to go past that scene and into the heart-wrenching parts of the episode.
I don't know how I feel about Angel's decision. It was necessary for the plots of both shows. In reality, it couldn't have gone any other way. Most of the time, though, I'm mad at him for making such a huge decision without consulting Buffy. This is a big part of Angel's personality. He doesn't hesistate to make decisions for other people when he thinks he's right. And, lest we forget, Buffy died anyway.
Hero
Love Doyle's moments, not so hot on the rest of the episode. The Coyle stuff is cute, but since it's so brief, I never really got invested in that ship. The Nazi-Demon army is very cardboard. The plot in general feels contrived. I'm not sure why Doyle decides to sacrifice himself now for this particular group of demons. Why is he so ready to give up his life? What about living to fight another day? The plot was clearly forced so that the writers could move Doyle out and bring in Wesley.
Speaking of which, this concludes this installment of my Ats reviews. I will post again when I finish season 1. Thanks!
The rewatch at thefang_gang consists of a random episode from AtS each week. I wanted to continue in order, so I have decided to post my (brief) thoughts to my journal in chunks as I go. I hope you enjoy my musings.
Lessons Learned So Far
The first time I watched AtS, I had just finished my first viewing of BtVS, which I watched rapidly over three months. I was very sad that I had run out of episodes (144 just wasn't enough), so I excitedly began the next chapter of the Buffyverse. And hated it. Many episodes bored me to tears. The plots seem contrived. The humor was off. None the less, my loyalty to Buffy pushed me to slog through all 5 seasons. There were some bright spots along the way - Darla's arcs, Illyria, The Girl in Question - but I was left with a generally unfavorable feeling about the series. I felt like I was missing something. I even tried a rewatch a few months later but had to stop due to boredom.
Thus, it was with many misgivings that I took a third stab at the show. Boy, am I glad I did. I realize now that I was heavily biased against it the first time around because it wasn't Buffy. AtS is its own thing, and now I'm ready to appreciate it for what it is.
I think that I was more receptive to AtS this time around partly because of Season 8. Given everything that has happened to Angel in Season 8, I wanted to go back and see what he used to be like. I needed to be reminded of why he was a beloved character.
For years, I felt like a bad Buffy fan for not liking AtS. It may never be equal to BtVS for me, but I don't feel like a bad fan anymore.
City of...
This episode was a revelation for me. I've watched it twice before, and this time, I actually enjoyed it. The episode does a good job of establishing Angel's world. It's a simple premise: Vampire with a soul seeks redemption, with the help of two friends. Finding Cordy in the crowd at the party always makes me smile. I'm glad they dropped the voiceovers after this episode, though.
I realized that this episode brings up one hanging plot thread that's never resolved. When Angel asks Doyle why he's helping, Doyle makes a reference to Angel not being the only one who has to atone. We never find out for what Doyle is atoning. I think attributing it to his guilt over being a half demon would be a little thin. I wonder what we would have learned had Doyle stayed on the show.
Lonely Hearts
Ah, Kate Lockley. I liked Kate from the first time I saw her. She is a good antagonist for Angel. She forces him to earn her trust, and even then, she's cautious. Naturally, there are many parallels to Buffy and Angel's early relationship - cute blond, in law enforcement, doesn't take any crap. Still, Kate grows into her own character.
I will take this moment to say that I don't get the running joke about Angel's business cards. I agree with Cordy. They look like angels! If the writers wanted this to be a running joke, they should have drawn them a little worse.
In the Dark
This is the beautiful resumption of the Angel and Spike antagonism. As usual, Spike gets some of the best lines in the show, ie, the opening scene where he mocks Angel from the rooftop. As most of you know, I tend to be more sympathetic to Angel than to Spike, but Spike's snark does make me laugh. This is also a very honest portrayal of Spike and Angel's relationship, ie they're trying to kill each other, not just annoy each other as in S5.
On a Bangel note, I love how disappointed Angel is that Buffy didn't bring the ring herself. He's still hurting pretty badly at this point.
The major flaw in this episode is the destruction of the ring, or rather, the explanation that Angel gives for destroying it. I could accept the ring's destruction if Angel said that more and more demons would be coming to steal it, and he couldn't hold them all off. But destroying the ring to be a better champion? Makes no sense.
I Fall to Pieces
I have to admit, I wasn't really paying attention during this one. The woman who needs saving from her stalker-boyfriend plot is well-trod in this show. They used it only 3 episodes ago. Not much to redeem this episode.
Rm w/a Vu
This is the episode that made me appreciate having Cordelia on the show. Until now, I liked having her around as a familiar face, but here she starts to come into her own. "The bitch is back." Great line, perfectly delivered. Plus, the scene where she shows up at Angel's apartment and won't let him get a word in edgewise had me in stitches. It doesn't hurt that he's only wearing a towel.
Sense & Sensitivity
I've heard some negative opinions of this episode, so I was surprised at how funny it was. By the time I reached this episode, I realized that AtS is generally a funny show. The humor is a bit drier than BtVS, less likely to produce out-and-out lulz, but it's woven into the fabric of every show.
I'm glad that they didn't resolve the tension between Kate and her dad at the end. In fact, they keep him right in character, sweeping the issue under the rug, much to Kate's continued sadness.
Bachelor Party
Another lulzy episode. Also, with some somber moments. Doyle and Harry play their first scene really well. You can feel that they used to love each other and how sad they are to have lost that love and affection.
I Will Remember You
What can I say about this episode? Anyone on my flist knows that I'm a huge Bangel fan, so I've watched this episode countless times. However, since I'm a big softy, I usually shut it off after Angel and Buffy fall asleep in bed together and then go read some fanfic. :) I really had to push myself to go past that scene and into the heart-wrenching parts of the episode.
I don't know how I feel about Angel's decision. It was necessary for the plots of both shows. In reality, it couldn't have gone any other way. Most of the time, though, I'm mad at him for making such a huge decision without consulting Buffy. This is a big part of Angel's personality. He doesn't hesistate to make decisions for other people when he thinks he's right. And, lest we forget, Buffy died anyway.
Hero
Love Doyle's moments, not so hot on the rest of the episode. The Coyle stuff is cute, but since it's so brief, I never really got invested in that ship. The Nazi-Demon army is very cardboard. The plot in general feels contrived. I'm not sure why Doyle decides to sacrifice himself now for this particular group of demons. Why is he so ready to give up his life? What about living to fight another day? The plot was clearly forced so that the writers could move Doyle out and bring in Wesley.
Speaking of which, this concludes this installment of my Ats reviews. I will post again when I finish season 1. Thanks!