This is what happens when you air a series one episode after the other and let it build a head of steam. As opposed to UPN’s treatment of BTVS in which any dramatic headway bangs into reruns, reruns and more reruns. “Countdown to Buffy’s final episode! Rerun! New episode! Another rerun!” Geeez…
The “Bodysnatcher’s” flavor of the current storyline continues. Again, there was a sense of padding (for instance, there was no intrinsic reason that Fred couldn’t have simply run into a demon who immediately attacked her instead of just sitting around and extending the sequence, particularly considering the whole point was to make the blood connection.) Still, a lot of stuff was just too cool to crab over. Her maneuver for revealing the truth to Angel was exceedingly clever.
At first I balked over the concept that Fred and Angel had to physically see Jasmine before the spell snapped, whereas the others got the idea just from the blood transfer. But perhaps Cordy’s blood, being the source, was more powerful. Or perhaps it had something to do with the whole psychic link thing. Anyway, I simply decided not to let it bother me, because Jasmine would have wanted it that–dámņ!
You had to love the frustration each of our heroes felt after they were severed from Jasmine. You almost wish Glory was still around. Be interesting to see how she and her minions would fare against Jasmine. A number of great lines (“I ate them.” “Cool!”) and increasingly building tension as we wonder how our heroes will break Jasmine’s spell. Pour Cordy’s blood into the LA water supply?
PAD
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Does anyone remember the exact wording of the parent/child doomsday prophecy which has been propelling events in “Angel” for the last two years?
I ask because I’m thinking maybe it actually applies to Conner and Jasmine rather than Angel and Conner as has always been assumed.
Also, is anyone else disturbed by the automatic acceptance of the “She’s REALLY ugly, so she must be really EVIL” revelation?
Remember, Connor was told that his sole purpose for existance was to bring Jasmine into this world–this at the point in his life when he’s a moody teenager without a strong purpose, He defied his ‘mother’ and father to bring about Jasmine’s birth. He is Jasmine’s right-hand-man–her ‘Peter’ if you will (extending the whole anti-Christ metaphor). His entire sense of worth is now tied to Jasmine–who is, remember, his daughter. All of which is to say that of course he is going to continue to follow Jasmine, free will or no.
A big theme for this season (and the series as a whole) has been redemption. Now that Connor has chosen of his own free will to side with evil, can there be redemption for him?
The Father Will Kill The Son
So Wes will have to announce that his translation was a little iffy and it should have been “child” instead of “son.”
It’s not so much that Jasmine is “ugly” that makes her evil. It’s the fact that she turns people into brainwashed imbeciles (and, of course, is responsible for all the evil that’s occurred this season).
I think the revulsion Fred and Angel had when they saw her is sort of the realization of how horrible she is and what she “truly” represents (death).
i had a few continuity issues with the ep. (I can accept the cordy having a blood link to jasmine since jasmine was in every cell of cordy’s body. but it’s iffy) the thing that bugs me is how the blood reacted differently for gunn wes and lorne. Angel and fred had to actually see jasmine before the spell or hold was broken. Gunn wes and lorne were freed before they could see her/it. granted they used cordy’s blood not jasmines, but really the power to break the spell should be a step removed from cordy not stronger.
ah well.
The Gunn/Wes/Lorne reaction thing I interpret this way. they never show the initial reaction. Time has always passed. Perhaps Angel and Fred would have had the same reaction had they simply been told to “snap out of it… shes not what she says she is” fred didnt until she saw Jasmine because she was surrounded by people who were still feeding the lie to her. She said she still feels it in her and she wishes it were true, only now she has the ability to see it as false.
Maybe had someone walked in after fred got her blood all mingly, and said “Whats wrong with you people you are fawning over someone you just met” maybe then she would have thought “you know what your right.”
Basically what I am saying is I think that all the blood really does is suspend the automatic belief in the lie, allows you to see things for what they are. So when confronted with something that doesn’t mesh with the lie you re-analyze it.
So When they did lorne he still was all lovey-dovey, angel said “Lorne, think about it for a minute… I am the star of this show I can really only be bad for like 5 or 6 episodes… I mean really I wasnt evil for many more than that when I was on buffy’s show….” and thats when lorne’s like “yah but the kids love ya angelbaby….” Or maybe it was a more serious conversation… but either way it was off camera 🙂
Regarding Stephen Robinson’s “revulsion of what she really is”- time to put my literature classes to work- Everyone has the image of Mr. Hyde as a monster- like in movies and comic books, he’s portrayed as a hulked out bëášŧìál figure. But in Stevenson’s novel, he’s a short, swarthy guy who provokes a general sense of disgust for no discernible reason. Interpretations vary, but a very pat interpretation is “Mr. Hyde is evil so others feel that evil.” The better way would be to say he reflects the inner primitive nature that is in all people, thus provoking an instinctual self-hatred. What does this have to do with anything? I guess I’m just saying that perhaps what we’re seeing is not really what’s there. I mean, there’s no worms suddenly appearing on the ground as Jasmine passes by. We’ve been assuming Gina Torres’s face isn’t what is really there. Why not the other side of the equation? There’s still the baby Cthulu we glimpsed at the birth.
**It’s not so much that Jasmine is “ugly” that makes her evil. It’s the fact that she turns people into brainwashed imbeciles (and, of course, is responsible for all the evil that’s occurred this season).
I think the revulsion Fred and Angel had when they saw her is sort of the realization of how horrible she is and what she “truly” represents (death).**
I don’t think it’s death being represented as ugly, It’s evil.
Such is the dual nature of evil, that it often hides behind beauty, love and truth. That’s what MAKES evil so insidious and indeed, “evil”.
“I mean, there’s no worms suddenly appearing on the ground as Jasmine passes by. We’ve been assuming Gina Torres’s face isn’t what is really there. Why not the other side of the equation? There’s still the baby Cthulu we glimpsed at the birth. “
I was wondering about this, too. They were fooled already, how do they know she really isn’t beautiful and the blood is just making them see her as ugly? But that doesn’t get around the fact that she is turning people into fanatical imbeciles. Although, the show could’ve played it that she did have their best intentions at heart, and didn’t realize the mindless zealotry effect her beauty would have on them.
But this episode took away any more complicated issues or stories like that, since she clearly acted more evil this time around. We definitely know where she stands now.
That’s not a bad thing. I still think it was plenty good. Just idle thoughts on what might’ve been.
Question: Does Angel know that Spike has a soul? That “shansu” prophecy might apply to all vampires who have souls, I guess.
“Question: Does Angel know that Spike has a soul? That “shansu” prophecy might apply to all vampires who have souls, I guess. “
Nice reference… i loved that title… to shansu in la…
good question…
and if it doesn’t get renewed, what a better way than for angel to get his life back 🙂
Travis
Connor’s reaction almost certainly showed that he was never under Jasmine’s control. He felt betrayed because of what Angel did, but he didn’t suffer the devastation that the others did. When Connor finally has to face what he’s done, I have a feeling he will be unable to handle it.
Also, I’d shocked if Angel wasn’t back next year. It had its highest adult 18-49 ratings of the year last week, tying a West Wing repeat in that category while beating 60 Minutes II and the Twilight Zone (The Bachelor was first that hour, I think). It did reasonably well on Sunday and has consistently outperformed its lead-in on Wednesday. It’s not a hit, but it’s likely to do better than any new show WB puts in their slot, and if the WB gives up on it I’m sure UPN will pick it up. The addition of Buffy refugees makes one of these two scenarios even more likely.
Everyone seems to be focusing in on how are they going to use Cordy to break the spell over the city. I am guess they are going going to find another way to do it. After all, that guy a couple of weeks back wasn’t under the spell when he saw her. So it stands to reason there is another way not to be under the spell.
Regarding several comments on the pacing of Buffy vs Angel this year and the continuous reruns on BTVS:
I don’t know for sure, but can some of this have to do with the writing/shooting schedule?
It seems to me that Buffy meandered aimlessly for a large chunk of the early season because the writers were hedging on whether SMG would come back for another season. Only after it was announced that this was officially the end did the show come into focus.
So maybe they filmed and aired a bunch of the “time wasting” eps early on and now have to kind of stretch things out to make sure the final arc airs during prime sweeps time.
OH, and I thought Angel was great this week (although I wish they would of drawn out the turning the gang good again a little more). Connor had better be evil (ie he knows Jazzmine is wormface but don’t care) or else he is the STUPIDEST person alive (even dumber than Buffy has become).
Best,
Chris
Re:shooting schedule affecting airdates, I do recall reading on Spoiler Slayer (yes, I read Buffy spoilers, so shoot me!) that they had to reorder some of the shooting to accommodate some of Eliza Dukshu’s other commitments.
Does anyone remember the exact wording of the parent/child doomsday prophecy which has been propelling events in “Angel” for the last two years?
I ask because I’m thinking maybe it actually applies to Conner and Jasmine rather than Angel and Conner as has always been assumed.
If I remember correctly, the text Wesley translated said, “The father will kill the son.” The giant hamburger, on the other hand, said something like, “That the father will devour his son is certain.”
One possibility is that the text Wesley read was a fake, just as it was said to be. The hamburger’s prophecy–if it wasn’t also false–might have referred to Angel’s devouring Connor’s blood. The animal blood Angel drinks was spiked with Connor’s blood for a short time.
But another possibility is that both prophecies were correct, and Angel is going to kill Connor.
–Daniel M.
Another thing to consider, this rainbow chibi-Cthulu that is calling itself Jasmine, well who is to say it even has a gender?
remember, how it felt reading comics…and a filler issue came along….hmmmm…filler episodes…filler year….bring back some excitement please
I’ve read lots of complaints about “padded” Angel eps, here and elsewhere, but I just don’t see it. I think the pacing, and the writing in general, has been great all season, and just superb from Apocolypse Nowish on. Each episode has been riveting–funny, heart-wrenching, totally creepy, and briskly paced. Angel has managed to do what Buffy is failing miserably at–abandoning episodic TV for an extended, cinematic plot arch that grabs your nads for the large part of an entire season. Buffy has pìššëd away almost the entire second half of the season with meandering, shapeless eps about the Scoobies sitting around in a crowded house, having long, dire conversations about the epic war that is going on. So where’s the freaking war, already? Bring it on! I’m a devoted fan, so it’s been hard watching ME drag the carcass across the finish line. Thankfully Angel is consistently delivering the goods with very few missteps.