Smile Time

Season 5, Episode 14, Aired
EDIT

Episode Summary

When several children are hospitalized after watching a TV show called Smile Time, Angel goes to check out the studio only to be turned into a puppet. Now, Angel and the gang have to stop a group of evil puppets from stealing the souls of children and return Angel back to normal.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (44)

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  • The sort of ep you'd only get from Joss

    10
    "Perfect"
    By joxerlives, Jan 22, 2012 Report Abuse
    SMILE TIME

    The Good;
    It's all fabulous, a truly, truly great episode and I'm proud to say I do own a puppet Angel doll (unfortunately the one with him in vampface as all the rest were sold out).

    The Bad;
    ?

    Best line;
    Polo; "I'm going to tear you a new puppet-hole ***!" (a line never before said on TV and in all probability never will be again)
    also like;
    Puppet Angel; "I'm made of felt. And my nose comes off!" (as above)

    Jeez, how did they get away with that?
    The bit where the puppets make their creator 'talk to the hand', euugghhh!

    Apocalypses: 5

    Angel Cliches

    Subverting the Hollywood cliche;
    Cute children's puppets are EVIL! Also like the talk between Gunn and Lorne with Framkin where he correctly points out that actually the public would invariably support him if their case ever came to trial. Puppet Angel's Jerry Bruckheimer style 'power walk' also hilarious.

    In disguise; 8

    DB/JM get's his shirt off; 18,

    Cheap Angel; 8

    Fang Gang in bondage:
    Cordy: 5
    Angel: 15
    Wes: 8
    Gunn; 8
    Lorne; 6
    Fred; 5
    Spike; 6

    Fang gang knocked out: Angel by the nest egg
    Cordy: 15
    Angel: 20
    Wes: 9
    Doyle; 1
    Gunn; 4
    Lorne; 8
    Groo; 1
    Connor; 1
    Faith; 1
    Fred; 6
    Spike; 5

    Kills; 1 demon for Angel, 2 for Gunn and 1 for Wes
    Cordy: 5 vamps, 3 demons
    Angel; 48 vamps, 63 and 1/2 demons, 5 zombies, 12 humans, one werewolf and one cyborg
    Doyle; 1 vamp
    Wes; 15 demons+5 vamps, 5 zombies, 3 humans, 2 cyborgs
    Kate; 3 vamps
    Faith; 18 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans.
    Gunn; 11 vamps+ 15 demons, 5 zombies, 1 human.
    Groo; 1 demon
    Fred; 3 vamps+ 2 demon, 5 zombies
    Connor; 16 vamps, 5 zombies, 2 demons, Jasmine
    Spike; 21 vamps, 7 demons+1 human+one parasite

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

    Alternate Fang Gang; puppet Angel
    Cordy: 4
    Angel: 12
    Fred; 2
    Wes; 1
    Gunn; 1
    Connor; 1
    Lorne; 1

    Characters killed:
    2265

    Recurring characters killed;
    11

    Total number of Angel Investigations; 6,
    Angel, Gunn, Fred, Lorne, Wes, Spike

    Angel Investigations shot:
    Angel: 14
    Wes; 2

    Packing heat;
    Fred uses one of Wes' 45s to good effect (maybe they've learned their lesson from Lineage?). She's a good shot but then she is from Texas.
    Wes; 11
    Doyle; 1
    Angel; 4
    Gunn; 3
    Fred; 4

    Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
    Cordy: 5 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast+Phantom Dennis+Groo+Connor plus possibly the Beast
    Angel: 6; Buffy, Darla, The Transcending Furies, Eve
    Wes; 3 definite; Virginia, the bleached blonde and Lilah, 1 possible, Justine
    Gunn; 2 Fred and Gwen.
    Fred; 1 Gunn
    Groo; 1Cordy
    Spike; 3-Buffy, Anya, Harmony

    Kinky dinky:
    Nina and Angel start to grow closer and closer. Naked Nina in her cell showing an awful lot of flesh after returning to human once more "Oh my god, I ate him!" Hmmmmm? Flora the puppet says she wants to get Gunn's 'Pretty eyes'. Fred thinks puppet Angel is cute. Nina seems to now enjoy being naked and locked in a cage. She thinks the whole vampire thing is kinda sexy although she admits that's a cliche for an art-school chick.
    Polo's line to the little kid 'Get over here and touch it' is a bit suspect especially the way he moans and groans when he's draining the lifeforce and talks about taking their innocence away.

    Captain Subtext;
    Angel has been utterly oblivious to Nina's growing attraction to him but it's perfectly plain to everyone else, even souless Harmony. He does however pick up on the Wes/Fred vibe.

    Know the face, different character; 7 David Fury, writer, producer, director and now actor. He previously played the goat-sacrificer in Epiphany and the mustard on his shirt guy in Once More with Feeling.

    Parking garages;
    9,

    Buffy characters on Angel; 17
    Wetherby, Collins and Smith. Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith, Darla, Dru, The Master, Anne, Willow and Harmony. POSSIBLY The First Evil, Andrew.

    Questions and observations;
    Especially love the way that Horatio can convey whole sentences in just a few sounds, Chewbacca style. Also you note that Groofus is beginning to be more and more won over to humanity (a common theme in Buffy/Angel), actually caring about the quality of the show in addition to their soul-sucking. David Fury is pretty good in his role. Fred shoots down Knox whom as we'll see doesn't take rejection well. It's been 4 months since Unleashed. Puppet Angel does pretty well against Spike. The last few seasons of Happy Days are referenced where Fonzie famously 'jumped the shark' (a sly joke for the Angel audience and critics who might think Angel is past it's best? Or the WB executives?) In an otherwise extremely lightweight episode we have the beginning of the fall of Charles Gunn, the senior partners having given him these new abilities he revels in and then forcing him to make moral compromises when they start slipping away from him.
    Presumably the camera crews etc we see are actually the real Angel camera crews? Why no commentary?
    Marks out of 10; 10/10, it's eps like these that make Buffy and Angel so special.
    moreless

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  • Smile Time

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By TrueTvWatcher, Dec 27, 2010 Report Abuse
    Smile Time was a superb episode of Angel. I enjoyed watching this episode because we got to see Nina again as she came in to spend the Full Moon at Wolfram and Hart in the safety of a cell. It was great how Fred and Wesley are continuing to bond as Nox looks on. The story of this episode was unique and a fun episode full of action and humor. I thought Angel's puppet body was a good likeness and his insecurities about being a puppet were funny. I think there may be some symbolism here to how he is feeling. The last battle was funny and the ending of the episode was a nice surprise and I look forward to the next episode!!!!!!!moreless

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    0 0

  • Smile Time is for everybody, and so is this episode.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By cal81985, May 17, 2010 Report Abuse
    What's left to say about this episode that the other reviewers haven't? It was an awesome approach, and necessary considering the two episodes immediately following this one are as dark as Angel can get without the writers using Angelus. I laughed and I cried, but the crying started because I was laughing so hard. Spike finding Angel as a puppet and the ensuing fight scene between them is classic and must be seen by all Buffy and/or Angel fans.

    Aside from the main Smile Time TV show plot, the episode also advances Nina's relationship with Angel, Knox's unhealthy attraction to all things Fred, and Gunn's desperation to maintain his legal smarts. It was a well rounded episode and definitely not filler. A "must see" for anyone who may have missed it during Season 5's initial run on the WB.moreless

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    0 0

  • Puppets!

    9.3
    "Superb"
    By TwistedConverse, Aug 20, 2008 Report Abuse
    Smile Time is a hilarious episode and very unusual and original in the fact that it features our main character turning into a puppet! It may sound extremely bad on paper but turns into one of the most unique and well put together episodes in the series!

    Whoever did the puppet work, I applaud them. The puppets look natural and moved effortlessly, which can't have been easy. Angel in particular looked as if he was moving by himself rather than someone with strings were guiding him. The fight scene were excellently done and it really is a credit to whoever did the movements and strings as not once does it look lame.

    This episode is pure comedy. It has some excellent lines and every scene made me laugh. From Angel claiming to not have puppet cancer, to Spike calling Angel "A wee little puppet man" to the puppet board room meeting, every scene will have you laughing. I particularly enjoyed the scene with the puppets all around the table. It was so silly but hilarious and every puppet is remarkable. I really loved the big purple thing that just made weird little noises and the puppets all understood what he was saying. The way e was killed was ingenious.

    One thing I wasn't impressed with was the whole Angel/Nina thing. Cordy died 2 episodes previously and he's already breakfasting with dog-girl. Not that Nina isn't super hot or anything but dead lover Angel? Nina/Angel aren't a great couple- they lack any sort of passion. One thing I also loved were the Wesley and Fred scenes, where they were growing closer and closer together. S5 has turned me into a bit of a Wesley/Fred shipper and it was great to see them get so close here. From all the little hints Fred was dropping that Wesley was so oblivious to to the kiss at the end, they were great here. Knox irritated me lots as usual and I'm glad Fred gave him the brushoff as they ain't a good couple. His jokes are pretty awful and I tend to agree with Fred when she says he doesn't make her laugh.

    Smile Time is a hilarious episode and one that you will not soon forget. It's not deep but it is really funny and has some nice Wes/Fred moments. A real gem of the show and of Season 5.moreless

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    4 0

  • Hey, let's watch tv, it's Smile Time!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By smg_slayer, Jul 08, 2008 Report Abuse
    Oh my god, I never laughed so hard while watching Angel before! I don't watch the show as much as I watch Buffy, but this episode is definitely one to remember. I don't know who got the idea to turn Angel into a puppet, but it was hilarious to see that side of the character. The episode is also scary in certain scenes, but the most memorable scene is clearly the one where Spike discovers Angel condition. I still laugh just when I think about it... Spike: You're a bloody puppet!
    And the fight scene that follows... Funniest scene on Angel... Ever.moreless

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    3 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • When Framkin starts singing "Courage and Pluck" in front of Lorne, Lorne should have been able to read Framkin and realize that they have been talking to a demonic puppet with his hand in his back. There have been a couple of times where Lorne can read someone within only a few notes of singing. However, it is possible that the puppets' cloaking spell prevented Lorne from reading them. Edit
    • When Polo, the lead puppet, tells Ratio to save the "Nest Egg," Ratio suddenly moves from inside the toy box to behind the cameras. Edit
    • When Fred opens Angel's office double doors inward while flanked by Wes and Gunn, Puppet Angel is supposed to be leaving with them. But when we pan down to see Puppet Angel, with sword on shoulders behind head, he is standing too close to the group. He would have had to have left the office then waited for the group while they waited for the doors to close before catching up to Angel. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • This episode was nominated for a Hugo Award for Dramatic Presentation: Short Form. Edit
    • This episode received a 4.0/6 in the Nielsen overnight ratings. Edit
    • Originally this episode was written to cover the fact that David Boreanaz (Angel) had sprained his ankle on the set. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Ratio: Honk! Grufus: Ratio's right, man. This Angel cat must've been the dude that broke into the "Don't" room last night. Ratio: Honk! Grufus: That's what I'm sayin'! He messed with the nest egg. Polo: Stupid jackass. Might as well walk into a nuclear reactor and lick the core! Edit
    • Polo: Ok, which one of you short bus bastards turned the CEO of Wolfram & Hart into a puppet?! Edit
    • Harmony: Oh my God! Angel you're a... Puppet Angel: Shut Up! What are you people looking at?! Well... Spike: They're looking at the wee little puppet man. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • (On the Smile Time puppets) Gunn: These particular devils have a very distinctive MO. Fred: They've done this before? Gunn: Seen the last few seasons of Happy Days? Happy Days was a sitcom set in the 1950s, that ran from 1974 to 1984. The last few seasons were noticeably poorer in quality that the earlier ones, and even coined the phrase "jumping the shark" to indicate when a series has passed its prime. Edit
    • Wesley: That's not how magic works, Knox. Knox: Really, Merlin? Merlin is the wizard who advises King Arthur in the legends of the Round Table. Edit
    • Lorne: Angel, baby, muppet, pumpkin... The muppets are a group of puppets and costume characters, and the company created by Jim Henson. Edit

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