Got distracted by other stuff, so I didn’t comment on Buffy this week. Figured I’d combine it with Angel here (which I watched while taking a one-hour break from watching the Anaheim Angels, which somehow seemed Apropos, which is something else entirely.)
Buffy–Overall a solid episode. Loved the subtitling and the extensive sequence with the actors speaking whatever-the-heck-language that was. Anya’s song was blah, unfortunately, and her hair length didn’t seem to match that from “Once More With Feeling.” And the final sequence with D’Hoffryn finally made him seem like a genuine demon head of a vengeance clan, rather than the avuncular type he always is. However, the episode seemed less than the sum of its parts. How could Buffy have forgotten a sword thrust against Anya would be useless considering *we* all remembered having seen Halfax run through last year? “I’m just getting started,” quoth Buffy. What, she’s dragging it out? And the constant repetition of “it devours from below” came across ominous as first, but now it’s starting to sound like an impending case of virulent demonic jock itch. It’s almost as if they want to keep reassuring us that, yes, there is indeed an overall big bad this year (as opposed to the aimlessness that seemed to characterize last season) but enough already with the warnings.
Also, am I the only one who feels like the energy level of the acting is down? Certain cast members…well, it’s not like they’re phoning it in, but they come across more like actors who feel their series is winding down rather than their characters. Maybe they’re jet-lagged. I dunno. Only Marsters seems really on his game; whenever anyone’s in a scene with Spike, their performance level goes up a few notches. Otherwise they seem kinda blah.
Angel–Good characterization marking an episode that seemed mostly set-up. Wes and Lyla are turning into *the* fun couple of TV. These two play more headgames than the guys from “Highlander.” I thought Cordy was going to figure out Angel’s true nature when he didn’t reflect in that honkin’ big mirror she was looking in, but the “Am I a nun?” thing worked nicely too. Connor was actually tolerable. Now when the heck are they making Andy Hallet a regular? I haven’t seen this much lack of support for a regular recurring character since Tara…which is ominous, all things considered.
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