Angel

INSIDE OUT

The Good;
If nothing else the evil CC versus Darla is so powerful it would get this ep an 8 by itself. But AI versus Skip is also great.

The Bad;
The spell seems to require extremely little blood, if they'd just cut her arm they could probably have had enough.

Best line;
Skip; "Well that ain't right!" (as Wes puts a bullet through his brain)

Jeez, how did they get away with that?
The sacrifices' pleading is just HORRIBLE, she reminds you of Dawn held hostage by Glory ("I just want to go home") but there's no Buffy coming to save her (although in fairness the PTBs do try their best). Can't watch them killing her, this poor girl.

Apocalypses: 5

Angel Cliches
Inverting the Hollywood cliche; Connor doesn't save the sacrifice. For once Wes' guns actually work.

In disguise; 8

DB get's his shirt off; 12

Cheap Angel; 6

Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 14
Wes: 6
Gunn; 4
Lorne; 4
Fred; 2

Fang gang knocked out: Angel, Wes, Fred and Lorne all knocked out
Cordy: 15
Angel: 17
Wes: 6
Doyle; 1
Gunn; 2
Lorne; 6
Groo; 1
Connor; 1
Faith; 1
Fred; 1

Kills; 1 vamp for Connor, one demon for Wes
Cordy: 5 vamps, 3 demons
Angel; 41 vamps, 57 and 1/2 demons, 5 zombies, 8 humans
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 13 demons+4 vamps, 5 zombies, 2 humans
Kate; 3 vamps
Faith; 18 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
Gunn; 11 vamps+ 13 demons, 5 zombies, 1 human.
Groo; 1 demon
Fred; 3 vamp+ 1 demon, 5 zombies
Connor; 14 vamps, 5 zombies, 2 demons

Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 3
Angel: 3
Gunn; 1
Wes; 1

Alternate Fang Gang: possessed Angel and Connor
Cordy: 4
Angel: 11
Fred; 2
Wes; 1
Gunn; 1
Connor; 1

Characters killed:
255

Recurring characters killed;
9;

Total number of Angel Investigations: Connor and CC out
Angel, Gunn, Fred, Lorne, Wes,

Angel Investigations shot: Wes catches a ricochet from his own pistol
Angel: 12
Wes; 2

Packing heat; Wes uses his 45's again, he must be a hell of shot to stick one right in Skip's brain.
Wes; 8
Doyle; 1
Angel; 3
Gunn; 2

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 5 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo+Connor plus possibly the Beast
Angel: 5; Buffy, Darla and The Transcending Furies
Wes; 3; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah, 1 possible, Justine
Gunn; 2 Fred and Gwen.
Fred; 1 Gunn
Groo; 1Cordy

Kinky dinky:
Fred refers to 'whipping' and 'spanked'. Naked Gina Torres plus naked CC doing her Lizzie Borden impression (well Manny wanted to die having a lapdance).

Captain Subtext;
Note Fred's little 'Nice suit' comment when Gunn comes back to the hotel, it IS a nice suit but there's obviously some jealousy there

Know the face, different character; 4

Parking garages;
6,

Buffy characters on Angel; 16
Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony

Questions and observations;
Poor Connor, boy he's put through the wringer in this one. Connor doesn't want to believe it's Angel, Skip refers to Buffy. So, is the vision that appears to Connor the real Darla brought from the afterlife by the PTBs or is it the First Evil who doesn't want Jasmine mucking up it's plans? Either suggestion is perfectly valid. So how much has AI been manipulated all these years? Shades of classic Dr Who. Angel's attempt to kill CC is reminiscent of Buffy killing him in Becoming pt2

Marks out of 10; 8/10

Though we've technicly already known for some time that Cordelia was evil this is the episode where they kind of run through it all, show us all of what evil Cordy was actually responsible for (though if you ask me a lot of it seemed totally pointless and I still don't understand some of it) as Angel and the gang finally realize that she is evil. But evil Cordy saw this eventual inevitability and had been grooming Connor for that exact reason, to come to her rescue when she was finally caught. Her champion. That is the primary focus of this episode, showing just how much this thing has wrapped Connor around it's finger. How it exploits everything he is, feels, wants simply to give birth to itself in a sense. This is another episode where Connor is his own worst enemy, just as he trusted in everything Holtz taught him and said to him for most of his life he does the same with Cordelia even when he knows in his heart that what he is doing is wrong. Even when the powers that be are telling him that what he is doing is wrong. You feel sort of bad for the kid, he has just had a horrible life. It's not his fault he has such a skewed concept of right and wrong, it's how he was raised. It's all he's ever really known and this thing takes serious advantage of that.



They seriously make Cordelia insane and totally spooky in this episode, kudos to Charisma for committing to it as well. When Angel shows up to kill Cordelia to stop this evil whatever from coming into the world, Connor once again steps up as her champion and defends her until it is to late. Although I still don't understand how Jasmine manifested a body out of nothing, that part never made sense to me.

Inside Out was a perfect and very entertaining episode of Angel. The gang has Cordelia caught in a trap, however Connor breaks in and rescues her. I enjoyed learning more about the Beast's Master and seeing Skip who apparently also works for her. The gang eventually have to fight him and Wesley finally gets a lucky shot. This was an awesome action scene taking place while Cordelia gives Birth. I thought it was perfect to have Darla appear to Connor, though I thought he would have believed her or sensed that Cordelia is not quite herself by now. I thought the ending was interesting and I look forward to the next episode!!!!!!!

Inside Out is an outstanding and the last of the greats for this season, as if I'm honest, I find the next 5 episodes extremely disappointing. Also, it has Darla! Yay! *loves Darla*



This episode is really a breakdown of the season so far- it explains how Evil Cordy managed so many things and does so very well. The gang figuring out how she had manipulated them all was great to watch. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks to earlier points in the season- first time I watched I was like "HOW did I not figure this out?" It really was done magnificently. I liked the inclusion of Skip- as some who's been present pretty much at all important stages of Cordy's life, it was good to see him back and explain some things Angel couldn't. I liked the whole "How many lives have to connect" speech. It was omnious sure and didn't make heaps of sense but it made it feel like we're all being guided to some purpose... or they are. We just watch the show. Gunn's speech was good as well and he seems to be over his "I'm just muscle" phase nicely (go Gwen!).



However, the main reason why I love this episode is because Darla's is in it. If I'm honest, Julie Benz could do a documentary of species of moths and I'd watch. Darla is my favourite character of all time in any piece of fiction (except maybe Hermione from Harry Potter but who cares?) and I was delighted she was back. She's been missing for over a season (when she so clearly should be a regular :P) and this is her last real appearance; I don't count the 2 minutes of "The Girl In Question" she was in. Julie Benz is of course fantastic as ever (where's her Emmy?) and brought the episode to life. I really liked the Darla/Connor scenes and even Connor was moderately OK here and I got a sense of the confusion within him. Vincent Katheiser was great here. Also some nice imagery here- I love the shot of Darla dressed in white standing in the light, Cordy dressed in black standing in the darkness and Connor in the middle. It was a real backwards flip seeing as Darla is a mass mudering psychotic vampire and Cordy is a champion of light. The music was excellent and extremely haunting. Of course I couldn't mention this episode without mentioning the birth of Jazzybear. It was all very birthy and glittery when she was born and I liked her one line and Angel's reaction- I was like "what the -?" Of course she sucks in the remaining four episodes (mainly cuz while Gina Torres is a great actress, she ain't so good at playing villain IMO). On a side note, why is Jazzers interracial? Cordy and Connor were both white. Not that I mind but it's weird. *sigh* Guess those predestined births always turn out weird...

SPOILERS FOLLOW:





There are two reasons why this is a good episode: firstly the appearance of Darla - the divine Julie Benz - who is trying to make Connor realise the error of his ways and who you think has actually made him think twice, before the demonic Cordelia has her way with the cleaver. And the cleaver scene is kind of unexpected. The poor innocent, having gone through everything she's gone through, you think will be saved, only to have a meeting with a slicing, dicing Cordy.



There are some serious continuity errors with the blood all over Connor and his ability to believe everything Cordy says. He's probably the least trusting person in this world or any other, so why he can't see through Cordelia's stories is beyond this humble viewer. Yes, I know he wants to have something to believe in - after all he's not had the best, or longest, childhood in the world.



And then Cordy gives birth just as Angel might be about to hack her head off. Yet despite the fairly usual kind of pregnancy, involving a definite presence in Cordelia's womb and a growing stomach area, suddenly the birth itself is just a burst of light, resulting in a fully grown human being who is not only about thirty, but is also of Afro-Cuban descent, has perfectly curled hair, a body to die for and enough teeth to start her own dentistry practice. What happened to the birth? Since there was something growing in Cordelia, how come the 'it' could be so huge? What was with the light show Caesarean? It was a bit of an anticlimax to be honest.

Inside Out-Angel goes looking for answers, trying to find out why Cordelia has turned against them. His first stop is the demon Skip, who has been so involved with the changes in Cordy's life. Meanwhile, Connor finds his loyalties tested by a most unexpected visitation. Finally, after wondering why the pass swarm of episodes this season have been one big apocalyptic, unforseen, chaotic buffet, this episode puts 2 and 2 together to create the big picture. Evil Cordy has been found out by her friends (former) but Connor saves her and run away to freedom, that boy is so gulliable! But anyway, I love the scene where the gang finally realizes when and how Cordelia's been working behind them. Manny's death, spiking Angel's drink, stealing his soul, killing the oracles, setting Angelus free, killing Lilah, not to mention messing with Lorne's mojo by putting a wammy on him, it finally makes sense now...well a least a bit of it makes sense. So Angel goes to old Skip to find out why Cordy had been Miss Destructo girl since she got her memory back. Well, it's a shock when Skip turns out to be another one of Cordy's b!%ches, not Skip! Cool fight with Angel, though. Speaking Cordy, her royal badass manipulates the poor sap that is Connor, doesn't this boy have a mind of his own by now at the good old age of 18? Well, the Powers That Be-en just sitting on their a$$ all season decide to bring Darla back to save poor Connor. It's great to see Julie Benz again and she's great in her scenes with Connor. Both her and Vincent easily portray the mother/son dynamic, even Vincent gives a good performance for once! But of course, the power of "gettin' some" over shadows his mother's will and he kills a poor girl for Cordy. Okay, first off, if Connor was any more gullible at this point, I would be able to use my remote to control him, well technically I can since I have this season on DVD! Well, you know what I mean! Also, why would the Powers send Darla to stop Connor, of all the things they could do? Okay moving on to the really good stuff! Skip is great as usual, and the revelation that the pasts events the last 3 years were all apart of this Big Bad's plan is shocking. It really makes sense when you think about, Connor was born of 2 vampires to be the father of this thing, Cordelia was only made a high power to be the vessel of this thing, Lorne, Wesley, Gunn, and Fred's destinies were shaped to be apart of this thing, but Good Lord, what is this all powerful, nasty, terrifying, and down right evil Big Bad that is growing inside of Cordy and has been planing to destory the world for a millina, well the episode ends with Cordy's big birth and Angel is about to kill her when a shiny bright green light with large tentacles comes out of her to form into...a beautiful black woman with slighty large gums...who is none other than the talented Gina Torres? I know what you think but it gets better, lol. All and All, an amazing revelation of past events with great developments, scenes and unexpected dawn of Jasmine!

I feel like we have had a buildup of so many confusing things that when I saw this ep, it didnt clear up too much for me. I felt let down. That being said...



We pick up back at the hotel after the gang was beat up by Connor. Gunn walks in and is..well..stunned. The gang fills in the blanks for him. Angel starts putting pieces of the puzzle together and figuring out exactly what Cordy had been up to this whole time. He lets Wes know that Angelus didnt kill Lilah. They also figure out Cordy hacked Manny and the Svear priestesses up and then stole Angels soul. Angel pays a visit to Skip, Cordys demon guide and Skip aint ready to talk. After a knock-down drag out Angel gets the upper hand and drags him back to the here and now at the hotel. On the other side of town, Cordy is still manipulating Connor. She tells him there is a way to get the baby to arrive sooner. Connor finds a young (teenaged) girl who is being attacked by vamps and saves her, only to knock her out and bring her back to Cordy. Yes, they are going to use a virgin sacrifice to bring the baby sooner. I have to ask, is Connor NUTS?!? Connor feels remorse for the bound girl and suddenly he hears a voice. Darla! She steps out of the shadows and implores him not to do this because he is a good person and the only good thing she ever did. He is about to untie the girl when Cor comes in and figures out just who is pulling at Connors heartstrings. She tells Connor it is just Angel and the gang trying to trick him. Connor gets angry and drags the girl away. The gang are grilling Skip and find out that it really IS Cordy they are seeing, only she isnt in the drivers seat. He also tells them this was all set in motion a long time ago. If that isnt enough he tells them that the birth will turn Cordy into a vegatable. Angel has heard enough and he grabs his sword and is off to kill Cordy (NOOO!) Cordy slices the young girls throat and gets into birthing position and tells Connor it is time. He dips his hands in the blood and places them on Cordys belly. Angel comes in ready to strike and then an amazing light fills the room. The "baby" is here. Angel sees the beautiful face of a woman (the baby?!) and drops to the floor on his knees saying "You're beautiful" This whole situation is so far from beautiful...only he cannot see it for some reason.

Of all the Angel episodes, this one is the darkest!

all meany, with evil Cordelia and Darla coming back in as an angel. the episode was fantastic and just perfect. everything is explained and came together. and angel had the dilema of having to kill his woman.



the episode was at it's best as connor had to chose between evil and good and he chose to kill a girl to bring his daughter into the world.

wow! the whole episode was just absolutely amazing! maybe except for the end. ew.

Inside Out



This is one of the best of the season, heck. One of the show's best. Darla comes back in Connor's mind and makes up for some of the most heartbreaking scenes. It shows us why Connor is so amazing and wanting for more Connor/Darla scenes. Cordy is vicious and amazing, everyone does an amazing job and we learn the tough truth and it's the last episode where Cordy talks for a long time so that makes it extra tough to look at. Just fantastic.



Cut to where Players ended. The gang is surrounding Cordy. Angel says that what she said about her sweet baby was the thing that made Angel realise. They don't understand what she is doing but Angel says it's not her but she says she might be. Then Connor crashes in and she beats down everyone and brings Angel to sleep and takes Cordy away.



the credits start



Cut to Gunn coming in and he doesn't know what happened and Fred says that Cordy is evil. They tell him that she is the beast master and that Connor is not part of it but he's just confused. Then they realise what she did since she came back. The damage started after Cordy's spell cause it woke her up. She killed Manny. And she also killed the family and then stole the soul. She killed Lilah. Cut to Cordy and Connor and she continues confusing him and that the gang wanted to kill her. Connor doesn't understand why Angel would do it but she says because Angel hates him. Then she kisses him and says that Angel is an animal.



Cut to the hotel and Angel can't find them. Wes says that they didn't know, And Angel cared what happened to Lilah because he did. Angel needs someone who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty and he needs someone who is in the middle of everything. Cut to Connor and Cordy and she tells him that they are going to be all right and he can't believe Angel tried to kill her. Cordy says that what Angel said was all lies and that he wanted to trick him. Cordy says that good and evil are just words and that he is now with her. Cut to the hotel and Angel is going to Skip and asks about Cordy. Skip tells Angel that she is a higher place and that she is back but he didn't know it. But then Angel thinks that Skip was in from the start but Skip says he wasn't a dupe and begins to fight Angel. And that this time he will loose.



Cut to Connor and Cordy and he says that he can take Angel so let him come. Cordy takes them and she makes him touch her belly and it moves. She says that the baby is gonna born in a week or maybe two but Angel will find them and will kill it but Connor won't let it happen. She says that maybe there is another way and she'll need some very special things. Cut to Angel and Skip and he wants Skip to tell but Skip is too strong. Angel begins to harm Skip with something and makes a hole in his head and then knocks him out. Cut to the hotel and Angel arrives with Skip. He says that Skip was part of what happened and they have to bind him. Cut to a girl in an alley attacked by a vamp but Connor kills him and the girl says she's all right and then Connor knocks her out.



Cut to the girl and Cordy says she's perfect, and that Connor has to mourn for the girl but she is one of the average normal people and what they are doing will give her death meaning, she says that the girl's blood for their baby is more than fair. Cut to the hotel and Skip is trapped and Fred can whip him and they want to know what he knows. Skip says that the thing is the real Cordela and she just isn't driving. Cut to Cordy doing a spell and Connor is watching and then the girl wakes up and Connor is next in front of her. She wants to go home but he won’t and then he hears something in the shadows. . Darla comes out and says she has always been close to his heart. He says she isn't his mother, she says all the people has she murdered and that she will always part of him. She says that brought life to her shadow. She had to give her life for his. She says she'd die every day for him and this is how he repays her. But he says he needs her for his baby but she says that can't. She tells him to not let her death mean nothing.



Cut to the hotel again, Skip says that everything that has happened to Cordy was planned, and that everything was planned. They say that they plan everything but not the big stuff, the two vampires and that the kid was designed to create a vessel. The thing inside Cordy is going to give birth to itself and the only way to not make it happen is kill Cordy. Cut to Connog talking to Darla and she says that the gang is scared of what they are and that they loved him when he was born. She says she killed because she didn't have a soul but he doesn't have an excuse. She says that she can't tell him what he is happened, it has to be his choice. She says that he has good in his heart and he has to look into it.



Cut to the hotel, Angel is going to find Cordy with his sword and he doesn't have a choice. Cut to Connor making her loose but Cordy arrives with a big butcher knife and says that it's time. He says that she didn't do anything but Cordy says she needs it. Then she says that it's magic. Cordy says it's Angel and she sensed Darla. She says she sees the lies and that it's his father. Then Connor tells Darla that she is not his mother and grabs the girl and Cordy follows with the knife. Connor sees his mother telling not to do it but Cordy hacks her neck and says that it wasn't so hard. Then Cordy begins to have the baby and he has to use the blood and puts his hand on her belly. and everything moves and Skip comes out. Cordy says it's coming and Angel arrives there.



Cut to Skip going after Fred and he fights Wes and Gunn. Cut to Angel and Connor and Cordy tells him not to lie and Connor fights Angel. Cut to Skip grabbing Fred and he tries to kill her but Wesley begins to shoot at him but the bullets don't get in but Wes sees the hole and shoots in his head and he dies. Cut back to Angel and Connor and he knocks Connor and grabs to sword to kill Cordy but then something comes out her belly and Angel falls and grabs his sword again and hen he sees the woman's face that came out and he falls on his knees and says she is beautiful.



Black Out

----------

Best episode quotes:



Angel: All this time it was you, wasn't it?

Cordevila: Took you long enough to figure it out but nice turn with the Lorne bait. You know, there was a time I would've seen that one coming eons before it ever crossed your tiny little mind.

Angel: Because you're so clever.

Cordevila: On the scale of you to me, pretty damn.

Angel: Until now.

Cordevila: All good things. So, what finally tipped off the great detective?

Angel: Tongue, slip of.

Cordevila: This, my sweet baby.

Angel: "My sweet." Same phrase the Beastmaster kept using when he was whispering in Angelus's head. Thought it was a bit femme for the booming macho act.

Cordevila: That's it? I get away with bringing the world down around you and two eentsy words tingle your spider sense?

Wesley: What we already knew. What he found out as Angelus. All the circumstantial led to you.

Angel: Just needed to be sure.

Cordevila: Little late to the table, but I might have a few scraps left.

Fred: Why are you doing this, Cordy.

Angel: This thing isn't Cordelia.

Cordevila: Is that what you think, hero?

Angel: She would never hurt her friends like this.

Cordevila: Or maybe you just don't know me very well.

Angel: I don't want to know you. Where's Cordelia?



Gunn: Sorry, just got your message. Being close to Electric Gwen can really screw your equipment. What... the hell happened to you?

Fred: Cordy's evil. Nice suit.

Angel: It's not Cordy.

Wesley: We don't know that for certain.

Gunn: Whoa. Back it up for the new guy. You saying popping mama threw you a beating?

Lorne: Kid Vicious did the heavy lifting. Cordy just mwa-ha-ha'd at us.

Gunn: Why?

Angel: Beastmaster.

Gunn: You think she's working for him?

Fred: She is the Master.

Gunn: Guy steps out for a few hours, half the place goes super-villain. (sits beside Lorne)

Angel: Conner's not a part of this.

Lorne: Evidence upside my head to the contrary.

Angel: He's just... confused... again.

Fred: Now we know what she's been doing with him all this time. She was grooming him...

Wesley:...as her champion.

Gunn: She's the evil genius that's been two-stepping all over us. How? And when? Give me a sip of that.

Lorne: Hey.

Fred: Has she been like this since she got back from that higher wherever?

Gunn: What about that amnesia thing? Was that a fake-out?

Wesley: Or a side effect. Descending to a lower dimension was probably disorienting.

Angel: Or maybe this thing was curled deep inside for the trip on some kind of, you know, autopilot. Look, all we know for sure is that the real damage didn't start until after Lorne's spell.

Fred: Oh, my God. We woke it up.

Lorne: That's what I read. That's what Wolfram and Hart sucked out of my noodle. It wasn't Cordelia's future. It was the smacker-jack surprise.

Gunn: Damn thing's been playing us right from the start.

Angel: From the inside... where it could do the most damage. Everything the Beast couldn't have done, it was this thing. Spiked my blood at Gwen's. Snuck into the vault, killed Manny.

Gunn: Wait a minute. When Gwen and I came in, faux Cordy didn't have any blood on its clothes. How'd it abracadabra that?

Wesley: Lizzie Borden. It wasn't wearing any.

Angel: Stripped down, then gave Manny forty whacks.

Gunn: Quick sponge down in the sink, and-

Lorne: Voila. Shower-fresh murder.

Angel: Taking out the Svear priestess was a lot easier. Slip out while the heroes are chasing their tails...and slaughter the only hope of banishing her pet Beast.While everyone was reeling from that failure, it was making sure my soul was off the market.

Fred: And the vision of the spell to re-ensoul you?

Angel: Misdirection. Getting everyone to look over here while the real action was happening over there.

Lorne: That explains why my mojo's been gunked up. Queen Bee-atch put the whammy on me.

Angel: And it let the monster out of the box. More misdirection, more blood, all designed to keep us off balance.

Wesley: It was Cordelia. She murdered Lilah.

Angel: We don't know if it's really Cordy.

Fred: Or what she's got baking in her oven.

Gunn: Evil and pregnant? I'm guessing it ain't cookies.



Cordevila: Are you sure Angel won't be able to follow us?

Connor: I was careful.

Cordevila: How careful?

Connor: Why were they trying to hurt you?

Cordevila: You know why. They're afraid of you, of me, what our love has created. They were gonna kill it and me if you hadn't come.

Connor: I didn't know where you were. I thought something bad might've happened. Followed your scent. But, I never thought... How could he do that?

Cordevila: Because he hates you. I didn't wanna believe it, but he does. He hates you for being with me. He can't stand the fact that he lost, that he'll never know the feel of my touch or the warmth of my lips. You were right about Angel. He's an animal, and he's turned everyone against us.

Connor: I'll kill them all before I let them hurt you.

Cordevila: My sweet, sweet boy.



Wesley: Any luck?

Angel: I swept the area 'til daybreak, checked the sewer tunnels in case they went underground, picked up their scent half a dozen times but...

Wesley: If Connor doesn't want to be found, he won't. Wasting your time.

Angel: I'm getting good at that, huh? It was all there right in front of me. I couldn't see it. Thought of losing her to Connor-

Wesley: Did exactly what it was supposed to. Play on your emotions to cloud your judgment. Draw your attention away so this thing could continue to murder anyone it... Least you had a reason for letting it happen.

Angel: Wes, Lilah and I weren't exactly friends-

Wesley: You were mortal enemies. Why should you care what happened to her?

Angel: Because you did.

Wesley: There's nothing here. If this thing could obliterate all references to the Beast, it's very unlikely it would leave its own bio laying about.

Angel: What about pan-dimensional texts like the one Lilah-

Wesley: I have Lorne reaching out to the black markets but it'll take time.

Angel: Great, another thing we don't have.

Wesley: Then let's go to the source. Whatever happened to Cordelia, it took place after her ascension to the higher planes. Maybe the Powers might be able to-

Angel: Last couple of times I've asked the Powers That Be for help they made it pretty damn clear they weren't in the business.

Wesley: But at least one of those was to save Darla's life. A mass-murdering ex-vampire dying of syphilis? A strong "no" is hardly a shock.

Angel: You think the Powers couldn't see this thing was masquerading as Cordy? What it was doing to us? They didn't stop it because they didn't want to get their hands dirty. What we need is somebody who does. Somebody right in the middle of all this



Cordevila: More hooks? Great.

Connor: We could try to find someplace else.

Cordevila: No. This'll do for now. Hey, it's okay. We're going to be all right.

Connor: I know. I just-I can't believe he tried to kill you. Maybe it wasn't really Angel.

Cordevila: Connor.

Connor: Angelus could've tricked us again. And-

Cordevila: It was Angel. You know it was.

Connor: Everything he said about how I could help make the world a better place, about being a champion.

Cordevila: Lies... meant to keep you in your place where he can watch you, control you.

Connor: But Fred, Gunn, Wesley, even Lorne-I thought they were... good.

Cordevila: What does that mean, really? Being good? Doing the right thing? By who's judgment? Good, evil-they're just words, Connor. Concepts of morality they forced around your neck to yank you wherever they please. You're with me now. You don't have to live by their rules. You remember why?

Connor: 'Cause we're special.

Cordevila: That's right. We're special, and our baby is going to be extraordinary.



Skip: Oh! Angel, geez. Don't they knock in your dimension?

Angel: Sorry. Wasn't sure it was you.

Skip: Powerful demon Skip at your service. Hey, I-I got some more buffalo wings and, uh, the game's on at five if you want to just...

Angel: I'm a little pressed right now. When was the last time you saw Cordelia?

Skip: Who?

Angel: She told me you were her guide when she decided to become half-demon.

Skip: She did, huh? Okay, look, I wanted to give you the heads up but you know how the Powers are-always making with the big hush hush.

Angel: What do you know?

Skip: This is going to be really hard for you to accept but Cordelia has ascended to a higher plane.

Angel: Oh, I know. She's back.

Skip: Back?

Angel: Or at least something that looks like her.

Skip: Well, wait. Nobody comes back from paradise. Okay, a Slayer once, but that-

Angel: So you haven't heard anything.

Skip: Uh, not since her ascension. Oh, it was beautiful. Should've been there.

Angel: You were a part of that?

Skip: It's in the job description. As Cordelia's guide I'm there for all the important events.

Angel: Except her welcome back party. So why didn't the Powers invite you to that one?

Skip: Mysterious ways. They can really drive a guy nuts.

Angel: Or maybe if you had known something you might've warned us. No, about the only one not keen on that slipping out is the one pulling her strings.

Skip: Not following you there, champ.

Angel: You said it yourself, you were there. Guiding Cordelia to her ascension, seeing her off to a higher plane which is exactly where this thing needed her to be to make its move. So, I'm thinking either you've been played for a dupe like the rest of us or you've been in on this from the start, Skippy.

Skip: Angel, buddy, whatever's going on, I'm telling you true... Not a dupe. Not like last time, is it, monkey boy? You know, the worst part about signing on for this gig was having to take a dive when you rescued that runt Billy from his box of fire. I mean, come on! You really think a guy built like this would be so easy to drop? This time we do it for real, champion. This time... you lose.



Cordevila: He won't give up. You know that, right? He won't stop until he finds us.

Connor: Let him come. I can take him.

Cordevila: Come over here. I want you to know what you're fighting for.

Connor: It moved.

Cordevila: Of course it did. That's what babies do when they're happy. I can't tell you how thankful I am that I found someone like you. I just wish they could let us be happy.

Connor: I'll make them.

Cordevila: You can't. They're too afraid. But maybe when they see how beautiful our baby is...

Connor: You think that would change how they feel?

Cordevila: Our baby's going to change everything, Connor.

Connor: How soon... before we can show them?

Cordevila: A week? Maybe two? But he'll find us before that. I know he will. He'll find us and he'll-

Connor: I won't let him. I promise.

Cordevila: I don't want you killing each other. That's never what I wanted. Maybe there's another way. A way to bring our baby into the world now-before anyone else can hurt us.

Connor: How?

Cordevila: I'll need some very special things. Do you think you can get them for me?



Skip: Well, now, this is just embarrassing.

Angel: Tell me... what happened to Cordelia.

Skip: Or, what? You'll bleed on me some more? You know, I've always wondered. How many chunks you gotta hack off a vampire before he goes all dust bunny?

Angel: Tell me what happened...

Skip: Yeah. Heard that part. What are you, Tarzan? See, this is the nefarious meat of it, pal. You die never knowing what really happened to the woman you love. Gotta respect the classics. You really think that's gonna-

Angel: Yeah, I do.



Cordevila: I know what your heart is telling you, Connor, but it will lie to you if you let it. You have to trust me. Be sad, mourn for her, but never forget the truth. She's one of them. One of the average, normal people that fill this world. But what we're doing will elevate her life beyond that and give her death meaning. Her blood for our baby. That's more than fair, isn't it?



Skip: Sand of the red palm. A child's trick.

Gunn: Then why don't you come out and play.

Skip: In time.

Angel: You'll have a lot of that after we make your accommodations a little bit more permanent. Fred?

Fred: Sphere of the Infinite Agonies. Every second a lifetime. Should be able to whip one up in, um... twenty minutes.

Angel: Everything you know or she starts whipping.

Skip: Hey. Whoa. I'm just a merc. I go where the deal is and not getting stuck in one of those? Bargain. Anybody got a cig?

Angel: Cordelia. Where is she?

Skip: I don't know. This is your dimension, man, you tell me.

Angel: The real Cordelia. Not this thing that's been posing as her.

Skip: How'd I ever get spanked by such a chump nut. That thing which has turned your life into a burning ring of fire? She is the real Cordelia. Or at least she's in there somewhere. This whole thing...

Gunn: Is it Cordy or not?

Skip: Oh, it's her. She just ain't driving.

Angel: Something took control of her on the higher plane?

Skip: Drill a little deeper, Hoss. How you think she got there in the first place?

Wesley: You're saying her ascension was all part of this thing's plan?

Skip: No, Cordelia was chosen to become a higher being because she's such a pure, radiant saint. Puh-lease.



Connor: It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you.

Girl: Please...

Connor: Brought you some water.

Girl: I gotta get home. My mom's gonna be so mad.

Connor: I'm sorry.

Girl: I won't tell anyone, I promise. Please, just let me go.

Darla: Listen.

Connor: Somebody there?

Darla: I've always been here... close to your heart. After all... isn't that where a mother belongs? The Powers have sent me to give you a message.

Connor: You can't be my mother.

Darla: I have her memories, her feelings. Isn't that what makes a person who they are?

Girl: Let me go, please...

Darla: I know that sound, the look in her eyes, the smell of fear. I've nurtured it a thousand times in all the people that I've murdered.

Connor: My mother's dead.

Darla: And I'll always be a part of you. You shared your soul with me once when you were growing inside of me when I'd lost my own. You brought light to my shadow, filled my heart with joy and love. I'd never felt so close to any living thing as I did to my beautiful boy.

Connor: Why'd you leave me? Did you hate me that much?

Darla: Baby, no. I wanted to be with you more than anything.

Connor: You killed yourself. I wasn't even born yet. And you-

Darla: did what I had to. My life for yours. I did so many terrible things, Connor, so much destruction, so much pain. You were the one good thing I ever did. The only good thing. I'd die every day for the rest of eternity for you. And this... is how you repay me?

Connor: You don't understand. We need her for our baby to keep it safe.

Darla: By anointing it in the blood of an innocent? You really think that safety can be plucked from the arms of an evil deed?

Connor: Good, evil. They're just words.

Darla: Don't let this happen, Connor. Don't let my death mean nothing.



Skip: You really think it matters? I mean, nothing I tell you is gonna change what's gonna happen.

Angel: Cut the gloom and doom. What's taken over Cordy?

Skip: Something beyond your comprehension. To give it voice would rend your feeble brain into a quivering mass of-

Angel: Fred, infinite agony.

Skip: OK, you got me. It doesn't even have a name.

Gunn: Then what do you call it?

Skip: Oh, Master or "Hey."

Lorne: Unspeakable horror for real this time.

Angel: Ah, it doesn't make sense. Cordy was made a higher being because she proved herself to the Powers by bearing their visions. This thing couldn't have-

Wesley: Unless it maneuvered her to inherit the visions in the first place.

Skip: Uh, oh. Better step on it. The rubes are catching up.

Angel: It wasn't just her ascension. Everything that's happened to Cordy in the past few years-all of it-was planned.

Skip: You really think it stops with her, amigo? You have any concept of how many lines have to intersect in order for a thing like this to play out? How many events have to be nudged in just the right direction? Leaving Pylea. Your sister. Opening the wrong book. Sleeping with the enemy. Gosh, I love a story with scope.

Gunn: No way. We make our own choices.

Skip: Yeah, sure. Cheese sandwich here, uh, when to floss. But the big stuff, like two vampires squeezing out a kid?

Angel: Connor.

Wesley: An impossible birth to make one possible.

Skip: That's what the kid was designed for.

Lorne: To sleep with mother love?

Angel: To create a vessel.

Skip: Look out. The monkey's thinking again.

Angel: Being inside a human makes it vulnerable, doesn't it? That's why it had to stay hidden. Why it needed to create something stronger to pour itself into.

Gunn: Wait. So the big nasty inside of Cordy is going to give birth... to itself?

Skip: Circle of life. It's a beautiful thing.

Angel: How do we stop it?

Skip: That's the easy part, slick. All you gotta do is find Cordelia and chop her head off.

Angel: Has to be another way.

Skip: Sure. Stab her in the heart, kidney, couple pokes in the lung-

Angel: A way that won't kill Cordy in the process.

Skip: Takes a whole lot of cramming to get that much sweetness into a human. It's in every hair, every cell, every molecule of Cordelia's body and it ain't letting go 'til it got a brand new bag.

Fred: What happens to Cordy then?

Skip: Drained of her life force during labor. Those contractions are a real bitch.

Angel: It'll kill her?

Skip: Or she'll end up a head of cabbage.

Wesley: What do you wanna do?

Skip: The only thing you can do. Kill the woman he loves to save the world. Times like this? Really gotta suck being you.

Angel: How do I find her? How?

Skip: Well, I'd go with the Bu'shundi ritual but, uh, you're gonna need a sacred Hutamin paw for that-

Lorne: Got it.

Skip: What?

Lorne: Cordy-the real Cordy-kept one in her desk drawer.

Skip: Probably a knock-off. It's not some trinket you'd throw in a desk drawer-

Lorne: She thought it was a back scratcher.

Angel: Get started.

Skip: Wait, wait. Uh, did I say "Bu'shundi "? I meant "Ru'shundi ". It's-it-whole different- Crap.



Connor: They hate us... because we're special.

Girl: I don't hate you. Please.

Darla: They're scared because of what you've done not because of what you are.

Connor: They wanted to kill me when I was still inside of you.

Darla: But that changed when they saw you, held you in their arms, felt the warmth of your skin, the goodness in your heart.

Connor: And it will happen again when they hold my child. It's the only way.

Darla: You have a choice, Connor. That is something more precious then you'll ever know.

Connor: What choice? They're hunting us like animals!

Darla: Because you're acting like one. As a vampire I killed without mercy or remorse because I didn't have a soul. What's your excuse?

Connor: You think I wanna do this?

Darla: Then don't.

Connor: I have to.

Darla: Why? Because she told you? There are things happening, Connor, things that I can't- It has to be your choice. You can stop this.

Connor: Her blood for our baby's. It's fair, isn't it?

Girl: Please, I wanna go home.

Connor: Shut up!

Darla: This isn't you, Connor.

Connor: You've been gone a long time, Mom. How would you know?

Darla: Because we shared a soul. I feel the pain, the anger, the hurt, like it were my own. But most of all, I feel the good in you and no matter how much you're beaten or twisted or lied to, it's still there in your heart. I know it, and deep down, you know it, too.



Connor: Shhhhh. Shhh. It's okay.

Darla: You're all right now. Everything's going to be all right.

Cordevila: What are you doing?

Connor: Nothing. I, uh-

Cordevila: It's time. Take her in the other room.

Darla: Listen to your heart.

Connor: She didn't do anything. We should let her go.

Cordevila: No we shouldn't. We need her, Connor. Our baby-

Connor: Shouldn't be anointed with innocent blood.

Cordevila: Anointed? Who's been filling your head with big, confusing words.

Connor: Just been thinking about it.

Cordevila: Or, maybe... a little birdie's been pecking at you behind my back.

Darla: She'll lie to you.

Cordevila: You know how much they love to use the magic, Connor. A spell for this, a spell for that.

Darla: Close her out, baby.

Cordevila: Whatever you're hearing, whatever you think you're seeing-it's a trick.

Darla: Don't let her in.

Cordevila: It's Angel.

Darla: No.

Cordevila: Trying to turn you against me with a cheap vision of- Darla.

Connor: You can see her?

Cordevila: I see the lies.

Darla: Connor, listen to me.

Cordevila: It's not her.

Darla: You have to let her go.

Cordevila: It's your father. This is how much he hates you.

Darla: I love you. Please.

Cordevila: Torturing you with this sad imitation of your dead mother.

Darla: Don't let her do this.

Cordevila: Are you going to let them do this to us? Are you going to let them kill our baby?

Darla: Connor, listen to me...

Connor: You are not my mother!



----------

Story: 10

Acting: 10

Writing: 10

Picture: 10

Gripping: 10

My Rank: 10

----------

Total: 10

Well, unfortunately, this is the end of Angel. You might as well just stop the film right here, ladies & gentlemen, because Angel is no more. Sure, there's still another 5 this season, 22 next, but it's over. It's done for. Just save your time, electricity bill, and stop watching. Just stop. (Or, if you're a freaky nit-picker who watches these episodes over & over just because, keep going.)



Once upon a time, there was a show. First, there was a show. Then, there was a spinoff. It started off simply, about a young man (who was very old) who fought evil*, with the help of his two side-kicks, a demon & a pretty girl. Shakey at first, they found a way to keep the stories interesting, build up characters, etc. (Demon died, replaced by old nerdy friend.) Girl got visions.

*Note, Angel spinoff of Buffy is very similiar to Frasier spinoff of Cheers: both main characters fight demons and vampires, and both used to date Sarah Michelle Geller.



They eventually found a black man with muscles. & a green femanine demon. & a nerdy chick. And there was a very interesting plot involving evil attornies at law, a dead vampire ex-lover (Darla), and a season finale that rocked and left them all laughing after their road-trip to Final Fantasy land. (Then a witch showed up and told him his ex was dead, & the vampire was sad..)



Thus, they were in their third season: The vampire, the actress with visions, the crazy nerdy chick, the british nerdy chick-uh, dude, the black strongman, and the green whosis. & that white guy with the big jaw & black eyes. (He was there all season- camshaking Cordelia. .. You don't remember him..? Well, he's not really important.) Oh yeah: pregnant vampire, baby, baby gone, baby-turned-teen, gotit? Wesley is dead & reborn a mopey, ruthless man. And this season was good, and the viewers enjoyed it. But the evil writer's of the Angel thought, "But what if they (us/me/you) don't come back next season? What if our viewers abandon us? So they wrote up the most malicious, insidious script that they could think of for the finale- one where big-jaw camshaker leaves, baby-boy coffins dead dad to the bottom of bay blue, and the pretty lady is kidnapped willingly to ... heaven..? (the whosis vert also leaves to vegas, but that was stupid so let's never mention it again..)(all the disappearances were stupid and unexpected, but Lorne's was the stupidest. Cordy's second. Angel & Groo were at least justified, what with the Connor's insanity & Groo's overshadowing for the past couple of eps.)



And the viewers all tuned in September/October to see what would happen..? Star-crossed lovers reunited..? WTF happened to the whosis..? Is Connor going to eat Fred..? (I meant that in the Hanibal Lecter way, not the Ron Jeremy way. Uh, never mind..) But, the record was already set on 1.5X speed, and the song wasn't sounding right. Things started falling apart, hardcore. A monkey was running the player, and he kept spinning the disc faster and faster and faster.. Amnesia? No.. Now you're pregnant all of a sudden? Get out.. By Oedipus himself? You shiyyin me.. The two strongest friends of the series seem to really hate eachother, when before we were being force-feed that they're in love? We don't need this shiv- we need Angel! We liked it when they were friends- why you change format! So Cordelia's really a monster (after she's done being stupid "Who am I? Let's hang up pictures!), then a monster rises, for no apparant raison, kills a load of people, builds a Mr. Burns suncloud around L.A., oh shiv, now we got Buffy-scum Eliza Dusku here, oh she'll save the day, because she's a Slayer! (And the person who actually saves the day, Willow, is tainting 4 of Angel with the stench she's absorbed from 7 of Buffy- Buffy made Willow stink!) Yadadada, giving birth, oh look here we are now:-



Last episode, of a pretty badly run season. (No, I can't watch the Jasmine episodes again!! No! Unbearable! This is what we show Israli prisoners to make them tell us where the bombs are! Evil people make their babies watch this over and over again so that they will grow and become Hitler's and Mansons of the world..)



You want me to continue the story..? Okay, but it's a downhill coaster from here.



Connor, loves his daughter, despite racial differences (& his opposition to demons thrust aside). Angel's gang is enslaved, captured, & eventually freed by the finale. Jasmine (Angel's grandaughter...?) gives him one kiss of the francais, before she is destroyed by proud poppa (Connor). Connor goes nuts, tries kill a bunch of ppl, wow, everybody's got amnesia now, because nobody remembers Connor & vice versa. (Wait, so no more mopey Wesley? /no/ How's he think he got that nice big scar on his neck? /shaving/ Does ghost Darla still remember her baby boy? /who cares/ What about that guy whose ear Connor chopped off? /shaving/ So who do they think Cordy lived with all year? /*/ Or, impregnanted her? /*/ Or, saved her when she was trapped by the goodies? /*/ Or, helped her give birth before Angel tried to smoosh her? /*/ Or, killed Jasmine? /*/ If it wasn't Connor, maybe it was... .... Xander? ... How bout /Oz/, we never see that guy no more.)(Oh, wait, that's not amnesia the cast is feeling: the plot was so unplotable that they all got lost, forgot it all, and were blank slates by season 5. Great.)



Season 5, the corporate season. Now, for no apparant raison, we're in a Law Firm. "Uhhm, that's some good television.." NO, it's not. Instead of having a show with characters all ready built up, we have a tabula rasi. Angel, whose been working towards Champion since season 1, is now moving backwards through his character development. (Not turning evil, just going in reverse- like a pop can rolling up a hill). Fred no longer practices anything she knows, or hypothesises, she lets her techies do it all for her. Gunn, whose been a rock with fists since day one, is now evil & possibly smart, but nobody cares. Wesley, no longer moody, no longer nerdy, he's just there, and is always carrying guns. Lots of guns. Lorne, doesn't bother with bartending or club-ownering, he's now just some kind of L.A. big-shot, or something. On pay roll for a law firm. (Entertainment, or some crap- you know, the thing this season has 0% of.. entertainizing) Cordy, far, far away, in a coma. (A coma, shocking, it's just like Passions! Will she ever re-adopt her conjoined twins from that evil pair of disenbodied hands with the booming voice!?) Connor, far, far away, in amnesia (Passions). Oh, and Harmony. She's here FNAR. ... Spike! He's an interesting character, maybe he'll flare up this season.. Oh wait, he's a bitchy ghost.. That's kind of, stupid.. Now he's alive, get the ball rolling..! .. Oh wait, nope, nothing still. Darn, with no plot, all these characters look really old and worn out. & chubby (you know it's true about David- hence, the loose fitting business shirts..)



"Whoops, I opened that box & got juiced with some flu, oh no, now I'm dead.." (By now, Angel is cancelled, so whoever's in charge of this franchise can kill anyone they want, in any way they want, or even get long-dead couplets screwing if they want. Back to Angel & Spike, Gunn & Joyce, Wesley & 'Palm'ela 'Hand'erson, Lorne & that stripper from his Barmitzvah.) Fred, dead, replaced by a crazy lemur queen, whose very presence is "a walking obituary". Wesley, instead of suicide because of his love of his life's death.. becomes friends with the corpse. Friends, yes. Excellent. Hey look, it's Boreanz' wife's cameo. End of the game, let's kill Price, Fred's all ready gone, how bout we scratch up Gunn, and we're left with a fat guy, some bitch in a dead lady costume, a eurotrash neon vampire whose 8-year shtick wore off 2 years ago, that bloody black guy, and... that's all folks. Angel: The Movie, Summer 2007 - Don't miss it, it might be good!



I never watch Firefly (which is supposedly bad), but with just the right amount of pot (a lot) and booze (a lot minus a bit) in your system, Serenity was an all-right movie. Hence: Angel '07 may suck the chht hair off of a donkey. (Lightning never strikes twice, ppl.)



Oh yeah, I liked this episode- seven point six out of ten- especially when Darla's the lil-lamb right before she's killed. Bril. As if Connor could have saved her by then- that was just to rub it in his face.) (Oh was it the first? I thought it was a ghost.. Sgotta be a ghost, whattever's happening never crosses from show to show. 3 apocalypses in Sunndyale, LA. showed no signs. & peaceful village in La, not Sunndydale.)





Screw Flanders! Screw Flanders!

I loved every minute of it!! I thought it was well written and well directed, I was so shocked that the past 3 years had been basically a lie and give the writers appalause for having the balls to go that route.



As I said before I was shocked, which is something the hard working people on this manage to do, they never suprise, they never go the way you think they're going to go and they never take the easy way out.



Vincent Kartheiser - what can you say?? He gave a great performance and had me in tears. I loved how he played Connor for the season and a half he was on. Sometimes he may sound like some bratty teenager but I think Vincent Kartheiser shows so much depth and I see big things for him in the future.

Or ... "Gee, Your Hair Smells Psychotic."



There's an old trick for getting out of trouble with your girlfriend. Instead of telling her about the grabfest last night at the stripclub, instead of admitting anything, tell //half// a story and then close with ... "Well, //you// know."



That, the game at 5 and the buffalo wings were only part of why "powerful demon Skip" might be a redneck.



"So ... Cordelia was manipulated into taking the visions?"

"Oh, it goes back a lot longer than that." Then, fold arms and pretend everything that's said is right, nod and play the room.



That and a few snide comments about their respective mental capacities were all Skip needed to blow a simple cosmic bait 'n' switch operation into an *all-powerful mystical from time-immemorial PLAN*.



He never really said. He rather //implied// all sorts of things that frankly no one person could be in charge of and ...



"You know how many lines need to intersect to bring //something like this// about?"



I dunno. Angel's in L.A. and not Sunnydale because Joyce needed for her daughter and Angel to break up, And that's just where he landed up. He //got// to Sunnydale in the first place because some seer demon told him to.



Angel //is// sort of like fate's plastic bag in the wind, but ...



Oo! Oo oo oo! When the Powers -- if that's even who these are -- //(ooo!)// -- make Joyce make Angel break up with Buffy, is that the beginning of her aneurysm?



//Did they hide Willow's blue sweater?!// :o



Cause it's gotta be the Powers, right?



*Powers*: //nowhere to be seen, nothing there but a sign hangin' up saying "Gone Fishin'!"//



Yeah, you'd //better// hide. Your disappearing act has left us an entire season with not only no sense, but no one to blame the nonsense on.



Well, if it's not the Powers, who banished Angel to L.A.? (Joyce) Who got Cordy to go to L.A.? (Cordy's personality -- it completely fits) Who made Lorne leave Pylea? (Lorne) Who got Gunn involved? (look, no one thing got Gunn involved with the Fang Gang) Who got Wes sleeping with Lilah? (Actual mistake: I thought you'd purged this dimension of all references to The Beast. If you wanted to //leave// it purged, keep the white hats guessing, getting Wes and Lilah together was the last move you'd want to make)



.

Ambition:



Pity poor Stephen DeKnight, writer and director of this pivotal installment.



Right at the beginning, Jasmine's saying that there was a time she'd have been able to see through a trick like Lorne's eons ago.



Was *that* an eon ago? Because Lorne just thought of this little scheme this past week.



The trouble with writing a villian who's too clever for the room is you've got to be pretty clever yourself.



It's like Joss threw a box of 1,000 puzzle pieces at DeKnight and said "Build me a runway."

"Sir, these are puzzle pieces. Runways are made of asphalt. And anyway, when these are all assembled they make a picture of a duck."

"Runway! Runway! I have a season to land and it's been circling the tower for days!"

"These are just ... cardboard ..."

"Runway!!"

//* sigh *// "Right away sir."



DeKnight was charged with writing and directing an episode that is so monumentally huge it had, ultimately, to fall apart. But then this was the season with the oblique reference to the center being unable to hold ("Slouching Toward Bethlehem.")



"Quickly! Explain everything!"



Explain ...



-- If Jasmine had stepped out of the sunburst that killed the Beast

-- If Charisma Carpenter hadn't been pregnant.

-- If "Firefly" had been a hit.

-- If by the end you were even [i]pretending[/i] to maintain some sense of reality (W&H Is completely rebuilt and fully staffed indeed).



//The season featured the localized blockage of the sun, for frick's sake//



Anything -- including Cordy's sainthood -- is easier to believe.



.

Jasmine:



Let's talk about Jasmine. She talked like Cordy, most of the time. Which made the Beastmaster aspect of the character just ... dumb. Jasmine's got this jovial, booming voice and is saying smoochy things to Angelus ...



Why'd Jasmine need Angelus? The banishment of the Beast could've been discovered wthout that. Why latch on to Cordy? Why not grab any of a million demons moving back and forth among dimensions all the time?



//Stop looking at the man behing the curtain!//



Remember the complicated story Gwen gave to rope Gunn in to save Lisa in "S4x16 - Players"? That story ain't got //nothin'// on this one. But Skip does love him a story with some scope, so Quickly! Let's cobble one together!



Why'd Jasmine need to block out the sun? Or really, for Connor to sleep with Cordy?



//shrug// I dunno. Cuz.



Well ... um ... don't forget, her baby is //special//. Y'know -- like some //Olympics// are special.



What's the //point//?



.

Moral Ambiguities:



I'm //so// glad you asked. The one. The only. The $64,000 question flashes ahead: //What is the point?//



Jasmine: "What does that even mean? Good? Evil? They're just words."



I can see at the end of like 11 seasons where good has always got to triumph, that's gotta get boring after awhile. So let's build up the world's greatest moral ambiguity ...



... out of actual, unquestionable //evil//.



The murder of a building full of evil lawyers? Evil, because it's possible they could get sick of the place and leave and actually fight against it. In Lindsey's case, he didn't run far enough away, but where there's life, there's hope for redemption.



The murder of a nightclub full of people? Evil, because again, they're people and deserve a chance.



Oh, unless you're already arguing that their lives are forfeit because they're not good //enough// already. Well, fair enough. You just tend that psychosis on your own time.



The emotional pain inflicted on people, the bald-faced manipulation of Connor, the deaths she ordered and tried to bring about.



The destruction of lives and property in the endless night and the subsequent vamp attacks. Hard to picture anyone with any decency condoning that. Murdering the Svear and Manny? Means to an end? What end? //Nothing you did made any sense!//



And finally, the blood of that young woman?



Here's where Jasmine, desperate, tips her hand. She says that if the girl isn't killed, the baby will //die//. Before, she'd just said if the girl isn't killed, the baby wouldn't be born for another week or so. And again, all Connor needed was a single handful of blood. Killing her was //way// over the top.



Jasmine the creature isn't even morally ambiguous. She's quite simply psychotic and megalomaniacal. If she was morally ambiguous, why was she OK with all the death and destruction she left in her wake? Say instead of a couple of victims to do what she did, she needed a million. A million people everyday, to make life pleasant for, say, a dozen.



For everyone who has said it's valid that Jasmine take a few lives here and there in sacrifice to make life pleasant for everyone else, are you starting to see the problem?



"Her blood for our baby. That's more than fair." Oh yeah? I didn't hear her vote. I didn't hear her agree, "Oh, that makes perfect sense, of course kill me now and use all of one handful of my blood to bring about your mystical hellspawn. By all means!"



No, I //think// I remember her screaming "Please! Please! No! Please!"



Well, that's why you need a thrall. People are much more compliant in a thrall.



.

Inside Out of Control:



Jasmine at the beginning was derisive, flip, pretending to be so clever. Yet as they outlined all of the stuff she'd done, after saying how they'd tracked her down, I never heard why they continued to pretend to trust her while the confrontation was being planned. Why Connor, given that outlandish and lavishly unsubtle entrance was able to prevail in the fight. Why however clever Connor is, how Angel is unable to track //pregnant Cordy// is beyond me.



And at the end, he goes right to her.



Never mind the //deus//, there's a frickin' //clown car// in this //machina// and it's tickin' me off a little.



//brooding// Couldn't even properly enjoy The First as Darla.



It's possible the way Jasmine would work is to turn everyone good, thus shutting down The First's power source. I prefer her as a ghost or an angel. But I could see her as The First making a last-ditch effort to preserve itself, and Darla's certainly dead enough.



Whoever came up with that idea had a whopping clever idea. I like The First posing as Darla.



With one exception: The First is all about power and destruction, so an alliance with Jasmine, rather than a thwarting, would just make more sense.



Not that making sense is such a priority for this season ...



It was a great scene tho, wasn't it? Along with the appearance of Something as Darla, the really standout things in this episode was Angel's chainfight with Skip, and Wes finishing the job.



Indeed, sometimes those things //do// work.



And if you can't tell already, I'm with Gunn on this one. Jasmine is an opportunist who latched onto Cordy who'd been bamboozled onto a higher plane of existence and wasn't even given a lousy bag of peanuts.



//Our fates, good Horatio, lie not in our stars, but in ourselves//, and that's a much easier course of storytelling to believe.



Unless that's just what Jasmine //wants// you to believe ...



Oo! I just //blew my own mind//.



So ... Jasmine, huh?



Well ... any excuse for Gina Torres to show up nude on a soundstage, am I right, people?



As for me ... well ...



As for me, I suddenly have this urge to build someone a temple and hold perfectly still while they eat me.



[marvin the martian] Doesn't that sound delightful, hmmm? [/marvin the martian]