ANGEL
S3x05 –
Fredless
Review by Terry J. Aman
"Fredless,” on its most basic level, is the episode that brings Fred
in as a part of the team, and not just in some: "Fred's in trouble. It
must be Wednesday." capacity.
First, however, I can't help but notice that Cordy hasn't had a vision in like
a month. Are we sure she's still the conduit?
Other things that need highlighting:
Cordy and Wesley's one-minute scene is worth the entire price of admission:
CORDELIA: Let me break it
down for you, Fred. (as Buffy) Oh, Angel, I know that I am a Slayer, and you
are a Vampire, and it is impossible for us to be together, but –
WES (as Angel): But my gypsy
curse sometimes prevents me from seeing the truth. Oh Buffy –
CORDELIA (as Buffy): Yes,
Angel?
WES (as Angel): I love you so
much I almost forgot to brood!
CORDELIA (as Buffy): And just
because I sent you to hell that one time doesn't mean we can't just be friends.
WES (as Angel): Or possibly
more?
CORDELIA (as Buffy): Gasp!
No! We mustn't!
WES (as Angel): Kiss me!
CORDELIA (as Buffy): Bite me!
ANGEL: How 'bout you both
bite me?
Too wickedly funny. I was like to wet my pants the first time I saw that
and it hasn't lost any of its comedy. Cordy's Buffy is hilarious. She must have
had so much fun with that scene. And Wes, oh my God. Too funny.
Now, the next 20 minutes or so are kind of lifeless. Under normal
circumstances, Joss relies on music to heighten dramatic tension -- not to supply
it. And there was a decidedly "painted on" quality to the tension in
the scenes with the Burkles.
Oh, yes absolutely – meet the Burkles. It must have been deeply challenging to
make such fresh-faced, honest, open folksy-type folks seem sinister. I'm not
sure I totally bought it the first time I saw it, either. I loved their
introduction to Angel Investigations, however. That was funny. Gunn, Cordy and
Wes being very glib about their usual caseloads and discovering "Hey, um,
these people aren't actually coming in from the 'Verse."
This passage was somewhat unsatisfying from the perspective of Fred's
character, too. The woman who handled a stray sarcophagus, a mind bent on
discovering the whats and whys of life, whose curiosity Wes cursed a little
after her death in S5, this at-her-core scientist, does not see her parents and
run and hide. Oh, not that they didn't attempt to explain her reaction – and it
was a beautiful attempt – but that wasn't Fred.
Back in Caritas (I wonder if Angel ever settled that sex debt with the Furies,
btw), Lorne is watching Judge Judy and licking his wounds. This was the point
at which they invited him to set up his bar in the Hyperion, yes?
No. They never did. And that would've been, y'know, nice. In that they were
responsible for the destruction there.
Lorne being all prickly wasn't true to Lorne, either. The man who puts up with
a steady stream of demon destinies for, y'know, a while – by his own design –
is upset at Team Angel? Hell, he's had at least two weeks off. And as a
business owner he had to be insured so I'm really not buying the squalor.
But here's another thing. In a brazen attempt to make her parents seem evil and
broody, the writers have made Lorne unnecessarily vague about Fred's destiny.
"You haven't run far enough" was not geographically. She needed to
get herself out of Pylea, out of that cave. And that whole exchange about terry
cloth and eyeliner was just plain out ordinary filler.
If nothing else, he's secure in his demon-ness.
Anyway, when they finally tracked her to the Hyperion – oh, I'm sorry, I mean
the bus station, and not the Hyperion with a few ferns scattered here
and there – when they found her in the bus station, the writers had
exhausted all their ideas about how to maintain the illusion they'd built so
tenuously and let it collapse.
And good riddance. That was a terrible idea.
All of that filler stuff could've been used getting Lorne to move in with them.
No, it's not where they all were as characters and not where that relationship
was, really, but moral obligations are moral obligations and it would've made
for a nice in-house sort of obscure and mysterious oracle.
You realize, of course, that there are now giganimous bug things living under
L.A. (Yes, I know. They call themselves "Hole" and they tour a
lot).
Fred's contribution in saving the day was intuitive and nicely worked out. But
Wes should've come up with that, sorry. I'd say he got a pretty good look at
the bug.
It is nice that the writers allowed Fred to actually do something, so I will
forgive them.
I don't think this was a standout episode. But it was pretty good.
And I liked that Mrs. Burkle got to help, too.
Back to
Angel Reviews
Back to Home
Page