Both “Angel” and “Buffy” are looking mightily apocalyptic this season. And considering the average apocalypse historically takes an episode, two at most to handle (and indeed became so SOP that it was reduced to a mere “B” plot in the hilarious BTVS episode “The Zeppo”), we’re obviously talking some major league world destruction.
The two series are going about it from very different approaches, however. Buffy has essentially become Slayerfest 2003, “Private Benjamin” meets “The Untouchables” with stakes as Buffy channels Sean Connery to whip her troops into shape (“I don’t know but it’s been said, Rupert Giles might be dead! Sound off, one two!”). Meanwhile Angel, who these days is just as likely to hang up on the helpless as help them (when was the last time they actually *did* that, and no, helping Conner doesn’t count) has become darker, more foreboding and, frankly, more compelling.
The recent episode was no exception. The only problem I had with it is that it came across like house cleaning. Let’s face it: Wolfram and Hart never went anywhere. They had senior partners, the exact nature of which we never really knew. They had a doomsday plan, the specifics of which we never learned. They had some connection to Pylea (or however you spell that dimension), the details of which were never pursued. And now, this week, they’re all dead. It came across (to me at least) like the producers saying, “You know what? Screw it. They’ve been around for three seasons, we don’t know what to do with them anymore, they’re more annoying than menacing, and they’ve said repeatedly they can’t kill Angel because he’s ‘important,’ so there’s only so much menace they can provide. Let’s just annihilate them and move on.” Which, barring a surprising plot development, is what they did.
As for Cordelia bøffìņg Conner…I dunno. I could see out-of-character behavior for someone who’s never endured end-of-the-world scenarios before. But Cordelia’s an old hand at this. It was–how shall we put it–questionable. Except I hear scuttlebutt that Charisma Carpenter’s pregnant. If that’s true, this might be how they cover it. She was sent back by the Powers That Be to have it off with Conner and produce yet another baby to be yanked off to another dimension. Either that or send her out on missions carrying a laundry basket in front of her.
PAD
• 
Peter, Pylea was spelled right, and about Wolfram and Hart, it always appeared to me that there was always at least one Junior Partner who didn’t care about Angel’s Destiny and would try to kill him. (Lindsey, Linwood, Gavin, Lilah I believe on an occasion or two.) But I do think that W and H’s story was not as well developed as it shouldhave been, much like you. Who knows, maybe the Zombies will handle Todd McFarlane’s Appeal.
Charles F. Waldo
P.S. Reading Sir Apropos for my second time. Favorite Line: “Get… her… the f**k… out of here.”
When you described Charisma maybe giving birth to Connor’s child I suddenly thought about the prophecy: The Father Shall Kill the Son.
Yep, Carpenter’s pregnant (in real life anyway). The general reaction to the concept of “Granpa Angel” in my circles though has been “yuck”.
While I know there’s some talk of a pseudo-crossover later in the season, it is starting to stand out like a sore thumb that Buffy and Angel are on separate networks. You’d think both groups would’ve called the other for back-up by now, given what they’re facing.
Loved the cadence btw. And did anyone else enjoy the irony of Christian “Lindsey” Kane starring in the recent tv movie about Enron? Man’s just typecast as working for evil corporate types. : – )
Just found the site and had to say something here: I thought Charisma already was pregnant hence the head shots for the beginning of the season. Wolfram and Hart always seemed like a contingency plan for a series ender should Angel not make it. It did/has so far so they went this route. Of course, it’s an old standard in series tv. Want to make the new bad guy look REALLY bad… have him kick the crap out of the old bad guy. Well, that’s my 3 1/2 cents anyway.
Joe Martinez: When you described Charisma maybe giving birth to Connor’s child I suddenly thought about the prophecy: The Father Shall Kill the Son.
Except that we learned that wasn’t the real prophecy; that what’s-his-name (the time-hopping plot point–er, demon) had doctored the documents because the prophecy really said that Connor would kill him.
Charles F. Waldo: But I do think that W and H’s story was not as well developed as it should have been, much like you.
Hey, now. Calling Peter “not as well developed as [he] should have been”…that’s just rude. 😛
Sorry, sorry…I just had to…
I didn’t mean to imply Peter is not well developed. He is. In fact, I wish I could hold a candle to him. What I meant was that I agreed with his position that Wolfram and Hart was not a well developed Villian. I just stated my concurrence with bad grammar.
Charles F. Waldo
(To Quote Alan Donald’s All The Rage: This has an //Oy! I’m not Jewish, but I have foot in mouth disease value of 10 out of 10. :)//
In addition to the above: I’m sorry Peter, I did not mean to offend.
Charles F. Waldo
Charles–I am 99 percent sure Alan was just kidding. We *all* knew exactly what you meant.
PAD
A couple points:
1) Since Lilah and the Senior Partners are apparently still out there, Wolfram & Hart may not be as gone as we think.
However, I think the main problem was that last season’s W&H antics mainly rehashed the previous season’s office politics with different actors. I welcome the shake-up.
2) When asked, BTVS staff writer Drew Goddard said that, yes, Buffy and company have noticed it’s raining fire in LA, they’re just busy with their own Apocalypse. So they’re trusting Angel Investigations to handle the other one.
And, presumably, vice-versa.
– DB
I doubt we have seen the last of Wolfram and Hart too. They do a house cleaning every couple of seasons… I think Dru and Darla did the last one.
Any thoughts on whether this big bad demon is the same demon that sent baby Conner into that hellish dimension? It was obvious that the demon hated Angel for something he hadn’t done yet.
Not only is she pregnant, but I believe she’s starting to show. She looked a little…uh…rounder in the face and elsewhere. (Ah, poor stupid Connor. Everyone knows apocalypse sex doesn’t count. Well, Cordy wouldn’t feel that way, but after Lover’s Walk, Willow ‘n Xander could explain it…)
Okay, I’ve been holding off on this one for a while. But just think of the possibilities
song quote: “I’m my own granpa!”
(I wouldn’t think they haven’t considered this)
At least you folks got to SEE this week’s “Angel.” The WB affiliate my cable system carries opted to carry a college football game instead (cut to the game right in the middle of an “Angel” promo and didn’t give any indication of when they might deign to run the episode), and the one I could have tried to pull in with an antenna pre-empted it for some other programming–so the entire Baltimore-Washington market didn’t get the episode.
Gotta love those TV execs–here’s a show that hasn’t been on for a month, and it’s moved to a new night, and they pre-empt it.
That’s almost as good as Fox ensuring that “Futurama” won’t air on the East Coast for months at a time and then deciding they don’t need to make any more, presumably because the ratings are bad…
PAD: Charles–I am 99 percent sure Alan was just kidding. We *all* knew exactly what you meant.
Yeah, I was just goofin’. Now I feel bad for making Charles feel bad… (Gotta put that ol’ Catholic guilt to some use, eh?)
I promise not to pick on anyone’s sentence structure for at least a week…
I thought Wolfram and Hart was a genius idea up until Epiphany. Once Angel didn’t wouldn’t play there game, they started losing their appeal. And once Lindsey was gone I stopped caring.
I was annoyed that the Pylea connection was never followed up on, that was a great revelation scene.
This season is the end of the contract WB has with Angel. I’m curious to see if it will be renewed. I wouldn’t be suprised if it wasn’t. Buffy also hasn’t been a huge hit for UPN so I’m curious if they’ll still pick up Angel should WB plan to drop it. I know they were obligated to last season if the WB decided to drop it. I don’t know about now though.
Buffy ending I wouldn’t mind so much. It’s been on for 7 years. I’d really like to see Angel get at least another year in.
Anyway. I think this season might be the end to the Wolfram and Hart law firm. W&H itself though probably has businesses everywhere and in every dimension.
Alan M.: Yeah, I was just goofin’. Now I feel bad for making Charles feel bad… (Gotta put that ol’ Catholic guilt to some use, eh?)
I promise not to pick on anyone’s sentence structure for at least a week…
Don’t Feel bad, Alan. I just realized that when you were teasing that what I typed was misconstrued, and while you had fun with it, I was worried PAD would take it seriously. I knew you were teasing, but I didn’t know if I had offended Peter, but since I didn’t, or at least I seem to have offended Peter, we can move on from this experience with me watching my grammar from now on.
Charles F. Waldo
Okay, that was another mistake (D’oh!) It should say “seem to have not offended Peter.” But now that’s out the Window 🙂
Charles F. Waldo
(Man! You Concur with one guy and next thing you know, you cause an off-topic debate and guilt sheesh!) 🙂
Ya know reflecting on this you gotta wonder now who is the new group of occult info going to be? with the watchers practically gone and w & h all but dead also who is gonna pick up the reigns?
Also the supposed x-over is basically faith filming a few episodes on angel then going to do 5-6 on buffy.
-erick
Anyone else think that since Connor seems to be an “ultimate human” (agility, strength, etc) the Beast could be Connor’s other half – an “ultimate demon”; the product of the demon aspects of Darla & Angelus? This could tie in nicely to “the father shall kill the son” prophecy (and I know they said it was false, but how hard would it be for it to turn out that the time-traveller was lying?).
L.
I’m not sure how this slipped by, but…
I didn’t mean to imply Peter is not well developed. He is. In fact, I wish I could hold a candle to him.
…now someone wants to burn our not well developed host?!?!
This isn’t really a spoiler, so I’ll post it. I read on (I believe) the Buffy Philosophical Board (www.atpobtvs.com) that the head of the WB has OKed a crossover if this is Buffy’s last season. Don’t know if it’s too late in the season to accomodate, but if I were the producers, I’d burn the 13th hour oil to fit one in at this point.
Another point that just gets dropped in and forgotten — Wesley managing to plant a mole inside W&H. At least Fred was impressed.
My $.02: At the beginning, W&H was a great idea — an evil law firm (oxymoron alert!) combining the best in high-tech and magic. But after losing control of Darla they became hapless foils. Everyone abuses them, from both inside and out. The best line reflecting their growing impotence: Lilah’s “vampire detectors, my ášš” comment as Angel made yet another unannounced visit.
But I will miss Gavin. Daniel Dae Kim is a good actor, and there are precious few Asians working on television as it is.
WHy all these things happen?
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