Angel

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Good;
Not much, this has a good chance of being the worst Angel ep ever. Some eps of Charmed were better than this, even the one's without Shannen Doherty (or Charisma Carpenter).

The Bad;
The demon and the whole 'Gunn in trouble' bit is very stupid.

Best line:
"NOW!" all in the delivery

Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Can't help but wince when Veronica get's a neck full of glass. Cordy's right though, to pull it out would kill her. The whimpering from Angelus and Darla's victims is horrible.

Apocalypses: 4

Angel Cliches
Damsel in distress; 16,

Inverting the Hollywood cliche;

In disguise; 4

DB get's his shirt off; yep, twice so that makes 9

Cordy's tattoo;3

Cheap Angel;
4

Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 8
Wes: 2

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 9
Angel: 11
Wes: 5
Doyle; 1

Kills:
Cordy: 2 vamps for Cordy so 5 vamps, 1 demons
Angel; 1 demon and 1 vamp so 17 vamps, 18 and 1/2 demons, 3 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 1/2 a demon
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 16 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; one more vamp so 5 in all.

Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 6

Characters killed:
25

Recurring characters killed;
4;

Total number of Angel Investigations:
3, Angel and Cordy and Wes

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 8,

Packing heat;
Wes; 2
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 2 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast
Angel: 1;Buffy

Kinky dinky:
All the Darla/Angel stuff is just excellent. Wes uses the very British insult 'Wanker'. Once again Cordy appears to be turned on by money, maybe that 'prostitute' remark wasn't so far of the mark as she also says she could be a 'working girl' if she wanted to. She also states that when it comes to sex women see more levels than men.

Captain Subtext;
Semi-naked Angel on top of Wes! Angel objects to wearing 'The girl's helmet'. Wes doesn't help by telling him 'Hop on gorgeous'

Know the face, different character; 2

Parking garages;
4,

Guantanamo Bay;
Gunn beats his way to the truth so ruthlessly even Angel steps in to stop him.

Buffy characters on Angel; 11
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla

Questions and observations;
Angel is a fan of Denzel Washington which is weird as he claimed to not even have a TV and was living like a tramp during his most successful movies?
Marks out of 10; 3/10, VERY weak ep, saved largely by the Darla/Angel stuff and the motorcycle humour.

‘First Impression’ is the third episode of season 2 and what an episode it was. It used comedy very well mixed with some of the most heat scenes of the entire show. The problem with the episode was the main demon, he wasn’t interesting and looked very lame.



The episode begins with Angel having a dream of Darla in caritas. He dances with her while Lorne sings and he apologizes for killing her but she’s over that.



That day Gunn walks into the office because he needs help. Angel was supposed to be up but slept more than he usually does. When they leave to fight they meet some guy who gets beaten up by Gunn until vampires walk in and fight. It took them longer than it usually takes and Angel was pretty worn out, he never took this long to beat a few vampires.



When they all go back home Cordy suddenly has a vision of Gunn fighting, she calls Angel but he’s dreaming of Darla being together and playing with ice. Cordy can’t wait so she grabs and axe and goes to save Gunn, she finds him fighting and attacks a guy from behind with her axe and cracks his skull. Turns out that he was just practising and Gunn doesn’t want anything to do with her, he takes her home but then find Angel’s car to be stolen ‘So, where’s your car’?



Angel continues having his dreams with Darla, all hot and spicy. But then they get interrupted by Wesley and Darla has to go. Angel wakes up naked ontop of Wesley who tells him Gunn is in trouble. Angel puts on some clothes and when they go for the car they can’t find it. So they have to go on a motor and Angel wears the lady’s helment.



The great chemistry between Gunn and Cordy made this episode so much fun. Cordy was determinated to save Gunn while he couldn’t wait to kick her out of his moving car. They arrive to a party where there might be the guy who stole their car. But suddenly a fight breaks out and some vamps try to kill Gunn. There is a girl who has a crush on Gunn and tries to help him but gets thrown against some glass and her neck starts to bleed. She needs to go to a hospital and Cordy and Gunn take her. This episode put Gunn’s character more on screen, she’s the second girl after Alonna and he can’t ever hold back.



When Angel and Wesley arrive to the party, they see a girl coming out who acts like an innocent but Angel can smell her and forces her to tell him where her boss is hanging out. Gunn and Cordy go to find the car and there the big demon is waiting for them. It wants to kill Gunn and it was the guy who Gunn kicked his ass at the beginning of the episode. Angel and Wes then storm in and kill the vampires and together as a team they stick an axe into the demon’s skull.



First Impressions was a very necessary episode introducing Darla’s sleep storylines which had the best and most memorable scenes of the show.

Gunn’s character also developed and we find out that he needs saving from himself, Cordy tells him so and they make a very great and fun team.

At the end of the episode Angel goes back to bed and has another dream, that’s where we find out that Darla is indeed in his bedroom kissing him ‘Hmm, I could just eat you up’.

With the decision to focus on a more substantial arc in the second season, the writers had to turn their attention to the nuts and bolts of that brand of storytelling: a slow but steady introduction. The typical Mutant Enemy structure practically mandates a slow build for the arc, spread out over the first several episodes, and an emphasis on thematic elements. Of course, one minor problem emerges in the case of “Angel”: the entire series may have had a redemptive theme, but season to season, there was a less defined aspect.



The theme of the second season was, in loose terms, a match to the themes at play in “Buffy” at roughly the same time: self-realization. Most of the characters find strengths and weaknesses within themselves while dealing with Angel’s darker side. Of course, this theme is mostly explored in terms of Angel himself, demonstrating that Angel was capable of questionable moral choices even before Angelus emerged on the scene.



The re-introduction of Darla is critical to Angel’s arc, drawing out the darker elements of Angel’s personality. One theory about vampires in the Buffyverse is that they embody a heightened and demonized version of the worst aspects of the victim’s personality. Spike, for instance, takes his obsessive love for people to a completely insane level, threatening the world to keep Drusilla pleased. Angelus took Liam’s desire to punish and torture those who care about him and his dangerous sense of fun to that next level of evil and depravity.



The point is that Angelus draws on flaws within Angel; the same demon would express itself differently had it taken hold of someone else. And that brings up the key question at the heart of the series: how much is the demon, and how much is the person? Where is that line drawn, especially in comparison to the human monsters at Wolfram and Hart? Prior to the second season of “Angel”, there was little reason to believe that Angel himself could be seduced into amoral acts.



Delving into that kind of character study takes time, and Darla’s part in the story is provocative and, for those who love Julie Benz, more than worth it. Darla has always shown a seductive side, and it’s not hard to believe that she could be irresistible. After all, it was already firmly established that Angel was fascinated by Darla and her decadent ways, and with Buffy now at a certain remove, it’s not hard to imagine that she would get under/around/above his skin.



The writers make things interesting (and add some complexity to the question of the psychological aspects of the seduction) by framing it all as something within Angel’s subconscious. Until the very end, it’s not clear whether or not Darla is just in Angel’s head, which points to the idea of something within Angel, undermining his resolve and redemption. As it turns out, Darla is actively weaving this spell, thus initially demonstrating why Wolfram and Hart would go to such great lengths to bring her back.



This episode also introduces, in a very subtle way, further clarification on the curse regarding Angel and his soul. This was explored somewhat (and badly) in the first season, but this season gets into finer detail. Just what does it take to trigger the change: sex and its biochemical aspects, or some emotional component that coincides with those biochemical reactions? In the fourth season, for example, Angel believes that he has sex with Cordelia, and that triggers the release of Angelus. Why, then, does the same not happen when Angel and Darla are together?



While Darla’s concerted effort to pull Angel away from his allies and his redemptive journey is an important element of the episode, the main action focuses on Gunn and Cordelia. This is also the first episode focusing on Gunn that lacks an interesting hook. Much of what happens in this episode is designed to put Gunn and Cordy into a situation where they can play up assumptions about each other, which can then be shown as inaccurate and insulting. Unfortunately, that ground had already been covered, even if it had never been seen for Gunn and Cordy specifically.



The issue with Deevak does help to remind the audience of how desperate and dedicated Gunn has been, trying to keep his little section of the bad side of town alive and relatively well. What that requires is a nearly endless display of strength and will, and it takes its toll. In a nice twist, the writers manage to communicate one of the more interesting aspects of Gunn’s character. The more Gunn does to help himself, the less effective he is on the street.



In fact, as seen later in the series, Gunn’s association with Angel and the others is a major drawback. As much as Gunn helps Angel on his road to redemption, he’s seen as turning his back on his own people. It’s as much a class and social issue as anything else, and in the second season, that’s communicated rather well.



Cordy also displays more of her stubborn strength, especially as compared to her earliest appearances on “Buffy”. Cordy has always been willing to jump into the truth with both feet, regardless of the circumstances, but her evolution into a fairly capable fighter is a relatively new element. And leave it to Cordy to turn her attack-dog tendencies to protecting someone who doesn’t want protection!



That said, Deevak is not a particularly compelling enemy, and while Gunn is relatively small potatoes in the scheme of things, he has been around long enough to deal with threats with superior strength. Deevak doesn’t seem particularly problematic; he just serves the purpose of presenting Gunn with a challenge that can reveal his inner turmoil. That doesn’t leave a lot to work with, which is to the detriment of the episode as a whole.

this episode was great but gunn was boring and the episode was better without him but he did not suck and was a little bit funny with cordelia



darla is the good thing and her sex dreams with angel are very funny and sexy and the show should have had more dreams like that because it was hot. the episode was great and darla rocked

On first watch I didn’t really enjoy this episode, but it gets better the second time around.



Another introductory episode this season, this time for Gunn. Whilst he has briefly appeared in season one and in the two episodes prior to this, this is the first time his feelings and motivations are explored since War Zone. Although we have seen Gunn as the tough street fighter thus far, we get to see a more vulnerable side to him as he confronts at least to an extent, the feelings he has over his sisters death. We get to see more into his life, as we explore the neighbourhood he lives in and the things that live in it, something which strikes me as funny as its from this point onwards that Gunn really starts to bond with the Angel Investigations team. In fact he won’t ever really go back to his roots apart from a few key episodes in later season 2 and early 3. This portrayal of his surroundings and his background may be then to serve as a further explanation for Gunn’s behaviour and why he is the way he is.



Another thing the episode helped to set up was Cordelia in her role as protector. A vision sends her on a quest to protect Gunn and we see her step up to this role. Its good to see that while Cordelia retains some of her sarcastic nature, she is evolving into a much more mature person, which is what makes her one of the most loved Angel characters. With these plus points, it could be difficult to see why this storyline isn’t that interesting. However watching the episode the reason did strike me. Whilst both actors work extremely well with others on the cast, there is very little chemistry between Cordelia and Gunn. This is understandable given the characters very different backgrounds, but the chemistry never really develops throughout the series explaining why this episode has a distinctly filler feeling to it. What does keep this episode interesting, is Angel’s highly sexual dreams about Darla, which by the end we discover are not quite dreams but hallucinations, she is really there and haunting Angel. Julie Benz does a wonderful job in the role of sexual predator. The writers also do a great job of maintaining the arc and developing it over this seemingly introductory episode.

I thought this was a great episode, possibly because I have wanted to know Gunn a little better and also see him connecting to the group. Cordy has a vision and ends up tagging along with Gunn, much to his chagrin. But he soon finds out that Guardian Angel Cordy is a good person to have around when she saves the life of one of his friends. We also get to see Darla pushing Angels buttons a little bit more by visiting him while he is sleeping and causing him to dream about her. After watching this I was sure Gunn would be around for awhile (yay!) and that he was going to fit into the group pretty well.

Two main storylines here...



First is Darla insinuating herself back into Angel's life. Of course its through his dreams and keeping him asleep most of the time. You do start to see some stress building in Angel's relationships with Cordy, Wes & Gunn though as he struggles between his dream world and the real world.



Second is Cordy's vision of Gunn in trouble. When Angel and Wes aren't to be found she decides to save him on her own. She comes to an understanding and shares with Gunn is that who he needs to be saved from is himself...he is taking too many risks.

First Impressions-When Cordelia has a particularly disturbing vision of Gunn in grave danger, she elects herself as his new protector. When she discovers that he may be his own worst enemy, she has to face the fact that she can't save him against his will.



An episode that pretty much focuses on Cordelia and Gunn the whole hour with Angel and Wesley getting some sideline screentime. It was nice to see Cordelia and Gunn interacting and the dialogue between them was well-written. There are some funny moments like Cordelia attacking one of Gunn's friends with an axe, also Angel and Wesley have some hilarious scenes together like the pink helmet and the awkward motorcycle driving with the 2. Also there's the scene where Cordelia enters the party with Gunn and finds she's out of place. Even though Gunn is pretty stubborn throughout it's nice to see it's only because his scared of failing again like he did with his sister. Cordelia also becomes more caring and responsible this hour, promising to always look out for Gunn. But saldy, it's the plot that really suffers and goes no where. The demon Devack looked hideous though and gave a chance for Gunn to deliever this hilarious line:



Gunn: "You Devack, I heard you were ugly but damn!"



There are also some interesting scenes where Darla is getting into Angel dreams and seduces him as he sleeps which is creepy and effective. All and All, a fairly decent episode with a weak plot but nice character development.

This episode made me laugh. Not as funny as the Smile Time episode in season 5, but it was still funny.

From Cordelia's attempts to save Gunn, and their constant bickering throughout, to Angel having to wear the pink motorbike helmet.

I always love Angel and Wesley moments. The ones that aren't dramatic are mostly just hilarious. This episode is an example of that hilarity.

Gunn and Cordy are funny together too. Like Angel and Wesley, they are completely difference. I think this is why they make such a great duo!

I didn't really care for the Darla part of the episode. Though I never really cared for Darla. I mean she is no Drusilla.

After a stellar first two episodes, 'First Impressions' doesn't quite meet the quality of its predecessors. Gunn seeks the help of Angel to take down a demon who's raising hell in his neighborhood. Meanwhile, Cordelia has a vision that Gunn is in peril. On top of that, Angel is sleeping a lot more than usual and having some scandalous dreams about his previously dead sire, Darla. This episode is to integrate Gunn into the group. While there are a lot of wonderful moments between some of the characters, the storyline of the inter-city demon is lame. The make-up on the creature is probably the worst I've seen in both this show and Buffy. Not to mention, that whole demon plot gets sidetracked by Cordelia getting Angel's car stolen. The most interesting points of the episode had to do with Angel's dreams of Darla, but those took a back seat to Cordelia and Gunn's mission to get Angel's car back. This is simply a "meh" episode.



HIGHLIGHTS: Gunn calling Wesley C-3PO... and the entire motorcycle helmet exchange between Angel and Wesley. "Just put it on, you wanker." ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS.

First Impressions is a Gunn centred episode and it's one of those cases where the secondary story is much more interesting than the primary. The Gunn/Cordy story was just plain average and not that enjoyable. The Darla dream scenes were very, very interesting and made the episode much more interesting- the episode would have been nothing without them.



The episode has some good dialogue but nothing magnificent. Gunn and Cordy bickering was funny and I like how they seem to be becoming closer- Gunn needs to intergrate better into the group. Angel and Wesley riding the motocycle was classic- the pink helmet. Gunn is still clearly mourning Alonna's death and has no adjusted well without her- he seems cold and uncaring about this and doesn't seem to care for his life - as Cordelia says "you create danger". The whole Deevak thing was just really Monster-Of-The-Weekish. I've said before- vampires are more interesting than demons. Random demons are fun for quick, random, fights- not so much the villain of the episode- they all basically want the same thing- destruction. Vampires are much better. Cordelia is becoming such a deep character- can anyone imagine S1 Cordy going on this rescue mission alone? No. She's putting others before herself now- a huge turning point. She's becoming more and more selfless and I think it is absolutely the best way to go- she can't stay Queen Biatch forever. Wesley is also growing- he's becoming less idiot and more cool. Telling Angel to stop being a ****** was hilarious and it shows he's growing up more.



The Darla dreams were hands down, the real excitement of the episode. I love her and Angel's relationship- I prefer not to remember the time he staked her without blinking. They're clearly so physically and emotionally close- she knows everything about him and knows exactly how to work him up. Julie Benz is breathtaking as usual. The revelation that Darla isn't just in Angel's dreams at the end- but is actually in his bedroom on top of him kissing him whilst he's sleeping is a shock. I thought it was just because he could sense her- but she's actually there. It's a twist and a good one at that- we see the start of her and W&H's plans forming. First Impressions is a solid episode. It's not amazing or a series classic- but the secondary story is excellent. It had good character development and overall was entertaining.

First Impressions was a perfect and classic episode of Angel. I really enjoyed watching this episode because Cordelia had a lot of character development as did Gunn. There was lots of action, clever word-play, and an interesting story. I thought it was funny how Darla said you give and you give and you give, etc... just like in "Mandy". This episode definitely gave more perspective on Gunn and Cordelia. It was fun to watch her talk a big game before going into the party, then going back to Gunns plan, but in the end she truly came through. I can't wait to see what will happen next!!!!!!!