Well, boy howdy, I was two for two. Spoilers abound…including the revelation of the single most horrifying moment of the evening…
Yup, two for two on being wrong in predictions for the season enders of SMALLVILLE and ANGEL. In both cases I wish I hadn’t been because, in one instance, it was dámņëd depressing, and in the other, it more or less made one element of the show predictable for me.
SMALLVILLE: As Lionel awaits his fate and Lana heads off to Paris, a blonde superchick shows up, claiming to be Kara from Krypton, to try and convince Clark that he should walk through a cave wall with her which will take him to see mommy and daddy dearest.
Last week I opined that the blonde girl in the teasers would be named anything but Kara. This week I wish to God she had been, because as soon as she said her name was Kara, I knew it was a red herring for the fanboys. That she would turn out not to be his cousin from Krypton or anything from Krypton, and certainly not a future Supergirl.
Why? Because, believe me, I know first hand exactly how determined DC is to keep Kara Zor-El squeaky clean, both in terms of the “S” label and in terms of the film currently in development. So when this chick says, “My name is Kara from Krypton,” the first thing that went through my mind was, “She blew up a car thirty seconds in the episode, like hëll she’s Kara from Krypton.” Granted, the driver–whoever he was–deserved what he got, because he should have known better than to drive in Smallville, the town where no one ever saves money by switching to Geico. So I knew something was fishy (and it was reinforced with the FBI agent’s fate).
But that awareness of the fakery pretty much didn’t matter with the jaw dropping fourth act. Talk about making up for the occasional pokey pacing of the latter half of the season. Considering the track record of the supporting cast, I’m surprised Lana’s plane wasn’t hijacked. I’ve run my video of the episode back and forth about six times and I still can’t tell for sure if Chloe actually went into the house (I sure know my spider-sense was tingling during that sequence, so maybe hers was as well). The only moment that nearly kicked me out of the episode was when Jor-El was saying, “Come to me, Kal-El,” I kept waiting for him to add, “Kneel before Zod!”
The downside of every season of “Smallville” so far has been an almost slavish determination to restore the status quo. Well, with this season ender, it sure seems like they’ve crossed the Kryptonian Rubicon this time around.
ANGEL: The Fang Gang spends one final night of “normalcy” and then goes toe to toe with the Black Thorns and the Senior Partners.
Okay, so…no pretty way to put it. Blew the call on that one. I figured Lorne would be “out” since they’d done nothing interesting with him all season, and therefore thought he was toast. Well, I got the “out” part right, since he said he was giving up the fight-for-right life, but I sure never saw the death of Wes coming. I’m absolutely positive that, were the series continuing, Wes wouldn’t have died. As it was, the farewell scene between Wes and Illyeria was not only heart-wrenching, but I think Wes is now firmly entrenched as being the single most tragic character in the entirety of the Whedonverse. That Andrew winds up with gorgeous blondes on either arm while Wes’ only solace is that he gets to wind up with Fred in death…jeez.
But hey, kids…let’s talk ending. The Butch and Sundance ending. An ending that I think is likely to polarize “Angel” fans. This will simply not be something that people go “eh” over. They’ll either love it or hate it.
Personally, I loved it.
Why? Because it wasn’t an ending. Why is that good? Because it was a true ending. It was true because the fight against evil has no ending. “Angel,” particularly in its last season, has been a series about ambiguities, about gray areas. The fact that there was no clear cut conclusion means that the series ended in a way that was thematically consistent. And that was a nervy, incredibly gutsy way to go. Gutsy because it was 100% guaranteed to pìšš øff a lot of fans who wanted to see if Shonshu was fulfilled, who wanted to see how (not if) Angel triumphed over the Senior Partners. The final episode of BtVS bent over backwards to have a tidy ending, and the incredible plot contrivances in order to accomplish that were painfully obvious. “Angel” made no such compromises. Whether Angel and the gang win or lose is almost less important than that they fought knowing that the fight itself is what mattered.
And what was the single most horrifying moment of the evening?
The closing adios from “your friends at the WB.” The WB which, in the words of Warners staple Elmer Fudd, would have to stand for “Wat Bastawds.” If they’re gonna be áššhølëš and cancel the series, then be áššhølëš and cancel the series, but don’t dump a sad, Gee, sorry to see you go tag at the end when they’re the miserable wat bastawds who handed Angel and Company their walking papers in the first place.
Jerks.
PAD
• 
ANGEL: All that I had to say about the finale has already been said.
Speculation on what might have been:
With no cancellation the rest of this season would have dealt with Illyria and her affect on the rest of the gang. I could see it ending with a finale that uncovered the Circle of the Black Thorn. The Circle would then have been the Big Bad of season 6. All those short night-cap style moments that we’ve seen the past few weeks (especially last night) would have been entire episodes that would have closed the book on the dangling plot lines. What might have been. One more season is all I wanted.
I loved this show and it was better than Buffy in the same way the ST:DS9 turned out to be better than ST:TNG. Absolutely great storytelling and character arcs. RIP Wes.
Now all I have is NYPD Blue and it’s last season is next year. 🙁
-tpl
Tobin,
Yay! A DS9 fan! Yeah, there was actually intelligent writing, intricate plots, big moments you could only get in sci-fi, and characters you were REALLY invested in.
That was the last decent “Tek” show, and it WAS the best.
And for the reasons stated above, that is why I am going to miss “Angel” terribly. The premature cancellation really stinks. Can you imagine if they had to wrap up the Dominion War and all subplots in the FIFTH season?
why couldn’t Wheedon just take Angel elsewhere?
Stargate went from Showtime to SciFi, Angel went from UPN to WB? I’ve seen shows move before. When Fox cancelled Firefly, couldn’t they move it elsewhere?
PAD, I used my TIVO (you should really consider getting one…it’s a godsend) to look at the scene with Chloe, and it definitely looks like she goes into the house (I think I can even make out her hair through the window in the door) just as it explodes.
ditto on ANGEL
as for Smallville- grisly as it may seem- I have the feeling that Chloe was probably right behind her father when the bomb went off. His body probably took the brunt of the damage, leaving Chloe alive- albeit quite injured (to the extent she’ll need plastic surgery… and say, why not just take on a new identity while we’re at it…?)
And yeah, I agree with the sentiment that the big radiating fissure was an entrance to the Phantom Zone. Ooh dang, I just got the sexual subtext of that and I wish I hadn’t… Clark returned to the womb… through (in Jeremy’s immortal words- from Barry Ween) “a big glowing vágìņá.”
Okay, look–if Lindsay is diet Coke evil and he deserves to die, what does that make Harmony? She’s a bloodthirsty killer and Angel lets her walk out with a letter of recommendation? Yeah, it was good for a laugh, but it doesn’t make much sense in the larger scope of things.
Harmony’s not a likely candidate to start a new Black Thorn circle.
I, too, loved the Angel finale from the teaser to the “Executive Producer Joss Whedon” credit. That other thing, shock it.
insideman…regarding the comments about Angels replacements on the WB..
You’re right…Foxworthy and Drew Carey don’t fit the demographic. But there are 2 factors that mitigate their placement on the fall schedule..
1) Ownership. I would bet dollars (not that I have any) to donuts (mmmm…donuts) that Warner Brothers owns both shows full out. Any revenues made off said shows are pure profit.
and
2) Production costs. Both of these shows are basically improv/sketch shows that are relatively dirt cheap to produce. Say what you will about “Whose Line” (and I really enjoyed it), the reason it stuck around for as long as it did was because it did reasonably well in the ratings whereever it was plugged in (it ran an entire season Thursdays at 8 against Friends in their prime) and it didn’t cost the network an arm & a leg to produce.
All TV is about one thing only…money.
Sad but true
The Final “Angel” showdown:
I absolutely agree with the poster that noted, as portrayed, Angel and Company dealt Wolfram & Hart a MAJOR setback once the Circle was destroyed– hence the OVERWHELMING show of force in the alley.
I also believe that every single one of Angel’s group has SURVIVED the encounter… And will CONTINUE to believe it until Joss shows me otherwise. With the blood and the power of the Senior Partners coursing through his veins, Angel could not have looked more confident in that alley.
Is it really so hard to believe that Angel and his gang get as many licks/demon kills in as possible (Angel getting to slay his dragon of course)– showing their heroic dedication to the good fight– when the demons are suddenly “told” to pull back (for whatever reason)… leaving our heroes battered, broken but alive? Remember, ANYTHING is possible in the Whedon universe– (including the resurrection of one Mr. Wyndham Price).
I would love to see an “Angel” movie start off at the EXACT POINT where the series left off.
I just don’t get the whole Jor-El storyline, and its bothered me since he first started speaking to Clark. I mean, granted this is fiction, but he’s supposed to be dead. Having all this interaction with Clark, and Jonathan, and now grabbing another person to throw into the mix…thats a lot of work for a dead guy. He is obviously not simply a recording of Jor-El (as in the movies), and all this straying from the traditional story is getting pretty aggravating. Maybe it is the Eradicator, I just wish they would get on with getting on with it already.
Also, the whole Native American angle is a bit odd. Not that I have a problem with the general concept, just that it seems to be shoehorned in most of the time. I mean, ancient artifacts, prophecies, all added together with everything else…its just “too many notes.”
Does anyone have a clear understanding of how all of these elements are supposed to mesh together? I would really appreciate a little clarification.
> “Angel” is being replaced by a 30 minute JEFF FOXWORTHY comedy (who, according to ImDB, is currently pushing 46) and yet another Improv Comedy show by DREW CAREY
… because, after all, a Jeff Foxworthy show is more likely to hold on to the Smallville audience than would Angel.
Someone must really hate that time slot. (Although, I suppose the bright side is that I can finally watch West Wing in peace.)
I’d love to have been there for that pitch meeting. “Smallville’s set on a farm in Kansas. Jeff Foxworthy is all about rural humor. It’s a perfect match!”
I’m obviously making a trivial note here, but the whole time Angel was talking about not remembering his humanity, I was thinking back to the “I Will Remember You” episode from Season 1.
Didn’t notice anyone else saying this, but if memory serves me right, Joss killed off all of the 1st season characters on screen except Angel. Cordy, Doyle, and Wes were the original three, and they are all gone. Toast. Never to return (or as never as things get in the Whedon universe, which is at least more consistent than the comic book universe).
So whether Angel lives or dies at the end, none of his original partners have survived. Hamilton was right — Angel could not save any of them.
To my original comments posted last night, I have thought more about the ending. I still don’t like it. I agree it fits best with the Whedon universe. But I believe good will win, and that it will win decisively. That does not mean Angel had to live at the end, but there was not a clear sense of hope that one day good really will make a difference. Gunn’s visit to his friend, Angel’s comments, etc, reinforced the notion promoted throughout the series: evil is as powerful as good, if not more so. The Powers that Be were at most neutral, and never clearly good.
This leads me to a core question: why was it best for Angel to go out fighting the good fight? What was the point? Within the universe created by Joss W, I don’t get it. There is no truly higher power for good. I guess that is why Angel was such a love/hate show for me. I loved the writing and the character development, but hated the hopelessness that seeped in around the edges. I am not wanting a feel good show where good neatly wins over evil every week, or where there is not strugle with truly grey issues, but I am wanting a show that indicates there is a source of something that is truly good and noble and right and pure.
Bottom line, Angel was fun, but it was not the epic that JMS created with B5. It did not reach that level of even the B5 clone, Deep Space 9. So I won’t miss it as much as I do B5 and am not anxiously awaiting a TV movie.
Just my thoughts on the matter.
Jim in Iowa
Well, William, not that I’ve really been watching “Smallville” (conflicts with “Enterprise” – yes, I like it, and no, I’m not ashamed 🙂 ), but I’ve been trying to keep up, with recaps both here and at Television Without Pity, and the feeling I’m getting is –
– that mysterioso force, claiming to be Jor-El, screwing with people’s heads, faking up ancient Indian art of Kryptonian fashions, is none other than the infamous interstellar criminal, the aforementioned Gen. Zod, running a potentially lethal mindf**k on Jonathan Kent and company. I think he’s hoping to drive young Kal-El insane, or at least turn him to the Dark Side. (“The Solar Power is strong in this one, my lord. He would make a powerful ally.” )
I think the Eradicator would present itself first as a genuine Kryptonian artifact, since its AI would be attuned toward the apparent Kryptonian mindset of utter superiority over all other life-forms. It wouldn’t bother pretending to be a lesser being – at first, anyway…
CHRIS:
I understand and agree wholeheartedly with what you’re stating. I also understand the REAL REASONS why “Angel” was cancelled as well.
I stated what I stated in my earlier post simply because I was replying to “Whelp’s” post and nothing more.
I know it’s ALL about the money and the fact that the WB has no back-end profit participation in “Angel” syndication and DVD revenues (and that the replacement shows are cheaper to produce).
There may be NO bad blood between Joss and the WB (although I find that extremely hard to believe)… But I can guarantee there is still PLENTY of bad blood between FOX STUDIOS (the production entity behind “Angel”) and the WB Network– remaining from when Fox yanked “Buffy” from the WB and took it to UPN over three years ago. That unceremonious and ill-advised Fox power play put “Angel” on the WB’s future cancellation list as much as anything did.
Hëll hath no FURY like a network scorned– no matter how long ago it happened.
The below is a direct quote from Mr. Whedon’s interview with TV Guide:
“For one thing, he’s been talking with Dark Horse Comics about reviving the canceled Buffy comic book and possibly making it a permanent part of the Buffy canon.”
Mr. David, would it be considered unseemly if a few of us started a e-mail campaign, if and when an agreement is announced, as to possible creative personel for said book.
Just wondering.
I’m impressed that not a single person has complained about “Angel” “wasting time” on the “last day” business. I remember all the frustration when, in the “Twin Peaks” finale, the old guy at the bank walked… ever… so… slowly… to… get… Audrey… a… cup… of… water… and… back… again…
It was nice to see Anne again, though I couldn’t swear that it was the same actress.
I think they addressed the why-is-Harmony-playing-nice question that many raised here.
I know I was supposed to get teary as Illyria-as-Fred comforted the dying Wes, but I didn’t. I did weep at the “Frasier” finale, though. A little surprised they used the punch-through-the-head bit two years in a row, though it did look cooler than Connor’s hit on Jasmine. Was that red guy really Dennis Christopher? I would never have guessed it was “Dave Stohler” from one of my all-time favorite movies.
I was really surprised at how much I liked this episode, especially since I thought last week’s lead-in was so lackluster. Spike had some great moments (his “no amulet speech”; the poetry slam; raising his hand at the “Judas moment”); Wesley’s arc came to a satisfying and logical ending; Harmony’s bow-out was quite amusing; the final Lorne/Lindsey development was unexpected; and even Connor was almost tolerable. Not as satisfying as “Buffy’s” finale, obviously, but I rather liked the ambiguity. And that glimpse of all those creatures we get rushing toward them at the end was effectively creepy. Naturally, I’d love to see these characters again. But if we don’t, I found this to be a very satisfying way to say “goodbye.” (And, hey, at least Angel didn’t wake up in bed in the final scene with Darla to discover “it was only a dream!”)
P.S. Anyone here see Carisma Carpenter’s pics in the new “Playboy”? I’ve never thought her face was particularly “all that,” but, I must say, her bod (presumably bought and paid for), is pretty friggin’ hot.
To anyone who misses Cordelia, here’s a shameless plug:
PLAYBOY’s May issue.
That said, and having the full attention of fanboys everywhere, let me just tag-
Working backwards for ANGEL’s penultimate episode,
CATWOMAN promo: craptacular.
WB “Thank You” to fans: Hypocritical.
Butch and Sundance ending, along with “I get the dragon” line by DB: standing ovation!
Illyria being pronounced “part of the team”: about time they had a strong female a$$kicker on the Fang Gang!
Gunn surviving to join the gang in the Alley: Hey, mortals can kick butt too!
Lorne offing Lesley: about time he showed he COULD be Pylean, after all! Very GODFATHER, I agree. Sorry to see the Green Guy go, but he is at heart a pacifist.
Wesley’s death: sad! Little angry – I mean, this is a guy that survived severe GSW, having his throat slit, etc…what’s a little gutting? I think he wanted to go. Very moving scene with Dead-Fred cradling Wes. In the end, I think Blue Meanie actually LOVED Wes. She must have, to feel grief at his loss…
Clearly the scene that moved me most.
Good for her, punching a hole in that snobby demon’s head.
Connor and Daddy tag-teaming poor Adam Baldwin- classic moment! And Angels’ line about “Can you pick the one word in that sentence you shouldn’t say to a vampire” – died laughing!
yadda yadda yadda to the beginning of the show – too much to review in one workday.
On that note, we cue the music…
When I saw the illegible scrawl Angel wrote on the Shonshu prophecy, I imagined someone evil screaming, “But you signed it away! You signed your humanity away!! Here’s your name, right here: ‘Angel!!'”
…and Angel replying, “My name is Seamus Flynn.”
Or whatever his name was when he was alive.
And then he tears the evil one apart.
Paul
Can’t recall who said it earlier.. “SMALLVILLE:Missed some of the beginning but i caught the oh so good conclusion.Chloe go boom,
Jonathan dead or incapcitated,Lionel in prison,
Lex poisoned,and Clark elsewhere(krypton,phantom
zone)”
Maybe Clark is in the Phantom Zone and its Zod, not Jor-El that is pulling the strings.
Hey, can anyone tell me if there was a specific Godfather moment reference in Lorne-Lindsey? I’m wracking my brain and coming up blank.
Friends could have learned from Angel and Frasier how to really end a series, by the way.
ANGEL: What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Great, great episode and an absolutely perfect coda to everything that came before. Although it’s true it IS a perfect ending with a perfect message (“never give up/never stop fighting!”); and now that I’ve seen it, I wouldn’t want to see a season 6 or reunion film because it would dilute the palpable impact of this series-ender; and sure, a lot of people would say Angel & co. are toast five, maybe ten minutes after the fade to black, did anyone catch Joss’ Zap2it.com interview? Back to it later as I like it as a closing shot….
That said, one thing that jumped out at me: Angel didn’t sign his real name on the prophecy. He signed “Angel”–isn’t that like someone signing a so-called binding contract by their nickname “Lefty” or “Squiggy”? Symbolically I guess it fits, that the hero signs his reward away because for him, there is no reward; the hero fights for what he believes in with no guarantee that his actions will make things better, but with faith that they will. But thinking about it another way, that true names have power (season 4!) and that not once have we discovered Angel’s true name during the series’ entire run (first name, Liam; last name, anyone’s guess!)…well, I still think Angel could eventually get his reward. Color me overly optimistic.
Finally, back to that Joss interview: two things stuck out like thumbs sore from waging a never-ending battle:
On the never-to-be season 6: “Next season would have been some serious chaos.”
And this last, even more ominous hint of things never-to-come: “If you buck the system and do your best to make it collapse, what if it does?”
“If.” “If.” Dang, but Joss had it all figured out.
~Gary
As Kenneth just mentioned, Hamilton was played by Adam Baldwin, also remembered as “My Bodyguard” and a super soldier on “The X-Files.”
Brian Thompson was the supposed alien bounty hunter on “The X-Files,” a vampire on the first two episodes of “Buffy,” and The Judge in the second season of “Buffy.”
I wasn’t at all reminded of “The Godfather” in the Lorne/Lindsey scene. Maybe some dialogue was referenced that some people recognized?
I work at night, so all my TV shows have to be taped. I’ll miss “Frasier” and “Angel,” but I won’t miss having to make time to watch them. The way it’s going, I’m down to “The Simpsons,” “Malcolm,” and
Already posted some comments but here we go again.
Nice to see other brains work like mine in regards to Smallville.If its not Jorel it may be Zod Or the Eradicator.Yes Chloe go boom but what better way to protect her then to make the world think she is dead?She gets a new id and new start
on life.
I do have a problem with one post mentioning evil definitely winning on Angel and another mentioning there was no way they could win.
First ,with all the moving and shaking going on in LA im sure someone in the scoobeys or slayer network got wind so the troops maybe on the way.Kinda hard to miss a demon giant and Dragon,ya know.Just speculation but thats why the ending worked anything could happen,cause we dont know the ending.
Finally lets say evil does win ,it doesnt make the fight any less important.I refuse to accept that evil always wins and there is no point to fighting the good fight cause you might not win.
Lets not forget the Senior partners were afraid of Illyria and wanted Angel on their side.There has to be reason for that and if Gunn a mere mortal could make a dent in there plans on his own before hooking up with Angel he is also a threat ,Spike is dangerous cause he is a total
loose cannon at times.
By the way The Catwoman ads look like crap!!
Luck is with you…Arrested Development has been picked up for another season. A real shocker for me. A quality show picked up!
It’s one of the few shows I’ll be watching next year, apparently. There’s not much of interest for me on network TV next fall.
.”..and Angel replying, “My name is Seamus Flynn.”
Or whatever his name was when he was alive”
For the record, his name was Liam. His last name isn’t known.
PAD
GEEK POINTS to Peter !!! 🙂
What else can be said about this ending that hasn’t been covered here already? Not much. This is probably the best ending to a series I have ever seen. But more than that, I think Joss Whedon and the whole crew of writers are some of the most talented on tv or any medium. I like Joss’ uncompromising way of doing a series, not watered down for people to just jump in whenever. You have to know the back stories to get the full impact of his shows. Maybe not the best for ratings but amazing for those of us who’ve been around from the get go.
I’m at my third viewing of the episode and still marvel at how much they were able to cram into such little time. The character interaction was dead on. The unending rivalry between Angel and Spike, reverting to street action vamp killing Gunn who seemed at his most comfortable getting his hands dirty rather than wearing the suit, my man Wes… The look he gave Angel as he was leaving Spike’s place said it all. It was gonna be him for sure. Ilyria’s reaction afterwards… All great stuff. Lorne, wow… He was never cut out for the brawling but I think it showed his devotion to Angel and the cause for him to carry out that execution. And as stated before, Lindsey is not part of the solution therefore part of the problem. A considerable part. He had to go. I liken Angel somewhat to Wolverine in the sense that his solutions are not always morally correct. He’s somewhat of an extremist, he kills. Lindsay was a reccuring thorn in his side and his work. He removed it. I wasn’t bothered by it cause unlike Spike and Angel, Lindsey wasn’t compelled to do evil because he was bound to some kind of demon. He just did it of his own free will.
The last days for all the crew were also very enjoyable. Leave it to Joss to pull the rug out from under us almost everytime. Connor knowing about his past, Spike who I thought for sure was gonna indulge in one last bar brawl… “The wanton folly of me mom…” I almost cried I was laughing so hard. Whedonverse continuity again here… I love it.
There’s so much more to this episode that I could find to talk about. The intricacies and significance of things that might seem completly mundane to the Whedonverse untrained eye. All and all I feel that if it had to go, this is the way to do it, leaving hope and not necessarly for a spinoff or a Tv movie. Just hope.
I almost don’t want there to be anything after such a proper finale.
Looks like luck is with us again in a manner of speaking–just as D. Eric wrote that “Arrested Development” has been renewed, so too has Fox officially renewed “Tru Calling” for a second season despite the fact its ratings weren’t even truly on par with “Firefly” (at least, IIRC). Check Variety’s website. It’s scheduled for a full season and the timeslot is changing to Thursday at 9PM ET.
Strange luck, indeed….(Hey! Who remembers THAT show???)
~Gary
PAD, any chance you read The Brat Queen’s journal? Her post about the finale, with the exception of the HoYay! she finds in it, is very similar to your thoughts on it.
SMALLVILLE: Yeah, this Kara is as much of a red herring as Adam Knight was. But wouldn’t it be nice to see a ‘Supergirl’ series, ESPECIALLY if she was handled properly?
ANGEL: With all the circumstances behind the scenes, could we realistically expect anything else?
Maybe Whedon could write or at least authorize a book to wrap up everything with Buffy/Angel, unless TNT, Sci-Fi, FX, or an unknown fourth canidate has picked up Angel for a sixth season/movies(?) and we just don’t know it yet.
Hey, I can dream, can’t I?
THE WB: Yeah, the wat bastawds!
Strange Luck was great! How about Stingray?
I remember and liked Stingray.
Don’t think that Stephen J. Cannel was ever capable of making a bad show, at least as far as content is concerned.
Nice reference there to Blake’s 7, Warren S. Jones. 🙂
ANGEL:Excellent, excellent, excellent show. A few weeks back, I had heard of spoilers for the finale, and comments that Wesley’s death would be ‘meaningless.’ I beg to differ. His behavior and death help catalyst Illria into being a ‘good guy’ in the fight. Kinda funny when you think of how this season was about how the good guys were working for the baddies, and in the end, a reversal had happened. The show was about redemption, and it succeeded in many levels. I for one will miss it. *raises a goblet of boor’s blood mixed with otter to toast*
SMALLVILLE: Here’s a crazy thought: Instead of maybe the Jor-El voice being the Eradicator, why can’t it be Brainiac? Since the show has used a mix of different aspects to Superman mythos, why use an idea from the last animated series?
I wasn’t so sure about the Kara/Supergirl idea for the episode, and how it panned out. Making her into an almost Kryptonite villain of the week lessened the episode. I think its about time that Clark has a philosophical debate with ‘Jor-El’ about humanity, maybe using Kara as Jor-El’s mouthpiece. Instead, it comes off as ‘Look, she’s not from Krypton. She’s a victim of the meteor shower, blah blah blah…’ that is getting annoying. Was funny that her real first name was Lindsey…sort of like, oh…Linda.
As for the Luthor storyline, all I can think of is four words:
THEY SAVED LUTHOR’S BRAIN!!!
Per ANGEL, an amusing hypothetical postscript to the ending here.
Per SMALLVILLE….
Until the finale episode, I’d never been entirely convinced that the Jor-El voice — whoever’s behind it — was actually expressing evil intent. It seemed to me that Clark was misreading, or putting inappropriate “spin”, on the messages from Dr. Swann and from the spaceship.
The advent of Kara throws a major monkey wrench into that theory; Kara’s actions and strategy for luring Clark into the Crack of Doom (or wherever the darn thing goes) are clearly those of a black hat, and the Jor-El Voice seems to be buying into them (though even that might be finessed).
What occurs to me here, though, is that I think this is the first time that the Jor-El Voice and its agenda have been definitively tied into the caves and by extension the Kawatchi lore. We know that the Kawatchi lore is of Kryptonian origin because the spaceship’s key works on the cave’s hidden control systems. But we don’t know for sure what the actual connection may be between the cave contents and Clark’s spaceship with its messages from Jor-El in it.
I agree with Brian Gibbons’ post. He thinks Buffy, Willow and the Slayer Army shows up to help save the day. In my little fantasy world, where my favorite shows don’t end until I want them to, that would be the season opener next fall. I don’t think they would have bumped off Wes had another season been in the offing, but that death scene actually had me choking back tears. Dunno, just got to me and I’m not the weepy type. Well, it’s one more hour freed up for other stuff. And that WB message at the end – it’s like one of my customers told me today – it’s as if a murderer spoke at his victim’s funeral.
The reference to THE GODFATHER that I saw was how (in both shows last night) we have the climax being the various killings–recall the juxtaposition of the Corleone family settling all accounts as Michael acts as Godfather to his nephew.
The comparison even more blatant on Smallville–substitute Lionel getting his hair cut with the baptism and all they would have needed was Moe Green getting shot in the eye to make it perfect.
Can someone explain to me exactly HOW Angel could just sign away the Shonshu prophecy? Since when are prophecies something you can cross off with a stroke of the pen? Haven’t there been episodes aplenty with some evil demon all hot and bothered about a prophecy that ends with him getting dusted by Conner or something? Why not just write down something like “Null and Void, Evil demon” and that’s the end of it.
Peter’s comments about whether the gang win or lose being less important than that they know that they fought the good fight even if no-one else does and his remarks about the conclusion of Buffy got me thinking, and i came up with this summation — Buffy (the series, that is) was concerned with winning and losing. Angel was concerned with Fighting The Good Fight, even if it was probably hopeless in the end.
As Billy, the King in Romero’s brilliant Knightriders (which in my opinion tells us more about the truth behind the Arthur legends than any other film i’ve seen) says when people want him to focus on mundane matters rather than the Important Things “I’m just trying to fight the dragon!” — which i was strongly reminded of by Angel’s calling dibs on the dragon.
For me, Ilyria emerges as the Tragic Figure this time, because she learns two Very Hard Things — first, too late and too tragically, she learns what it means to be human. And, from that, she learns that Little Big Man knew what he was talking about — “It is a good night to die!”
Wesley’s death hardly surprised me — he’s been fey for a long time.
As to the Wat Bastawds’ little poison valentine — i imagine a comic which had been in the hands of one writer for years, during which he had taken it and its at-first-glance less than promising central character to heights it would probably never reach again.
Because of the usual “creative differences”, the writer was leaving. He wrote a final issue that was Simply Incredible, an epilog to everything he had done, with pathos and tragedy and some humour.
It was perfect.
And then the editor and publisher gave the incoming creative team two pages of epilog after his story to undo important elements in it and to generally piss on his grave before he was even cold.
WatBastawds are everywhere.
Poster who mentioned the possibility of Brainiac being the voice.BRILLIANT !Never considered that
good idea.
To continue the argument of the fang gang making it out alive.,consider this.Angel said himself he is one of the biggest murderers in human history.This includes demons and humans.I seem to remeber him slaughtering a monastery full of kungfu monks after Buffys’death(the Glory one).Spike is no slouch with the killing and has
two (three?)slayers to his kill chart.Gunn just massacred a roomful of vamps solo,and Illyria probably evented more ways to kill than they know combined.W&H sent a lot of fire power for 4 beings.Since their reach is far and wide someone
on the side of good or evil would notice.
Not for nothing but im sure the interest would be there to find out just who is warrants all the force and what are they doing.Good or bad someone may see at as a chance to take a crack at W&H.
Just a thought:)
We-hëll.
Anyone ever watch Blackadder Goes Forth – specifically, the very end of the last episode? This is a touch more upbeat than that, but not much. How long do the nights last in summer in LA? ‘Cause they didn’t start fighting till the sun went down. If, as Joss suggested, this was to be a cliffhanger they turned into an ending, they would have copped out in 6×01.
Good ep tho. I’m not as depressed as I was after Farscape 4×22 [I don’t think the ending/cancellation of any other show ever will ever knock me as much for six as that one did. I didn’t cry, I was just left incredibly depressed for hours afterward.] I don’t have that here – I’m a bit off, slightly depressed, but, well, life goes on.
Bye Angel. It was good while it lasted.
To Jim in Iowa:
I get where you’re coming from, but the point is exactly that they fight against such overwhelming odds. Hope comes from fighting the things that are wrong about the world, no matter how impossible it may seem. Yeah, it’s unlikely that there will ever be a final conflict where good triumphs over evil, but that’s why they call it “The Never-Ending Battle.” Doesn’t make it any less worth fighting. The point of Angel, the point of heroes, is to remind us that the fight is always worth fighting.
Or, as Dylan Thomas put it, “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
I can’t believe Kenneth was the only one to mention Angels’ “Can you guess the one word in that sentence you probably shouldn’t have said?” line. I loved it! And the verbal sparring… “Did that hurt?” “Little bit.” Man, I’ll miss this show… Gonna have to go out and start picking up the DVDs now.
Ah, thank you, Bill Mulligan – that makes sense with Angel / Godfather juxtaposition.
A variety of things…
Someone mentioned that Tru Calling is coming back despite worse numbers than Firefly. I don’t know about the numbers but it’s entirely possible – likely, really – that it’s a cheaper show than Firefly’s 2M per. Business is business and I would rather sell 5,000 widgets with $300 of profit each than 10,000 widgets with $100 profit each.
I think haggling over what name Angel signed – in his own blood, of his own free will – is besides the point. Either the intent is enough and it’s something you can sign away (and really, we don’t think there’s a Supreme Court Powers That Be do we? It’s gotta be representative magic or some such hoohah) or it was a bluff/test from the Circle a la the old saw about giving the trainee spy an empty revolver and demanding they shoot their spouse or somesuch.
I enjoyed the ending. It fit well, it didn’t screw up the pacing with wayyyyy too long a third act and really, it couldn’t BE a bigger opening for future stuff. New tv movie? *p0p* Willow or whoever whisks them away 1 second after our POV went black. Illirya pulls some more jetsam from Fred’s mind and opens up a transdimensional portal for them. Flying monkeys steal them away. Whatever. Any of it is possible.
As far as Wesley’s death you could even bop your way around that. Being dead didn’t slow down Holland Mathers or Lilah from wandering about much. The only difference there is they were under contract to Wolfram and Hart…. oh wait.
Longtime reader first time poster.
I had mixed feelings about Angel’s finale. When the exec producer credit popped up I had to react with an “oh, no.” Even though I agree it was bold and thematically perfect, part of me wanted more closure. It was especially frustrating to see Shanshu brought up, only to have that plot tied up with, “oh, the prophecy? Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.” I also felt when he signed it that his true name, Liam, would grant him a loophole. Anyway, as time goes by, I’m getting more comfortable with the open ending, and think it was very ballsy and cool.
I think the most tragic thing about Wes is he died before we could ever see a reunion with Giles. I wanted ripper to see Wes had become a better warrior and leader than he ever was.
By the way, does it bug anyone else that after 12 whedonverse seasons, no one dusted Drusilla? All her attrocities and she’s still out there. For the same reason, I wouldn’t have minded seeing Harmony killed. It just irks me when specific baddies are allowed to roam free, continuing their wanton killings (anyone remember Lyle Gorch?).
Lorne’s execution ranks up there with Giles killing Ben/Glory as a great, “Did he just…? Hey, that’s pretty cool.” moment.
All in all I love the show, and have to admit that by the end, I liked and respected the fang gang way more than the scoobies, lousy off-screen snobs.
r.i.p.
btw, does anyone know a place that takes Buffy fan fiction? I’ve got a spec script that I’d love fans to read.
d.h.
PAD,
Actually, just to twist the knife a bit – Wes doesn’t even get to end up with Fred in death. Illyria used Fred’s soul and other inner bits for fuel during her rebirth. Hence, the whole Angel not being able to “re-ensoul” her thing during that ep where they were all desperately trying to find a way to bring Fred back.
Poor, poor Wesley. He never even got to find out for certain who sent a cyborg ninja pretending to be his abusive Dad. At least his death scene was longer than Anya’s.
Great finale, tho’. Kudos to them for staying true to the spirit of Angel.
Any chance you might write an Angel novel? I’ve always thought you and Angel would be a perfect fit.
Destroying that car and killing the motorist inside pretty much cinched it for me too that it wasn’t Kara. But I had no idea how the creators were going to make it not her, yet give her the powers and knowledge that she had.
Incredible season finale. Can’t wait for the season four premiere.
As to the contract: don’t forget we’re dealing with a law firm here. Angel signing “Angel” worked for the original Wolfram and Hart contract, so I’d assume it’d work here. After all, a signature is what you adopt as your signature…it doesn’t have to look like your name. I know mine doesn’t.
Beside, Angel seemed like he was pretty much committed to giving it up. The conversation he had with Harmony about being human seemed to show he knew he had given up his shot.
As for the higher power for good being absent or non-interfering in the Whedonverse, I agree. But it’s not a bad thing. It’s something that makes the characters’ struggle and goals even more worthwhile. That was the point of the finale, that even if bad was going to win no matter what, that the struggle is what’s worthwhile.
The real issue is that there IS hope, and Angel himself knows it. His quote about the fact that the world used to belong to the demons and has belonged to the humans for a while now shows that the hope exists.
Perfect ending for me.