And they're back from vacation. The
Powers That Be, realizing that they've been practically written out of the
series, got in touch with their old freind Skip who was good-natured and gentle
and intelligent and -- oh yes: LYING!
OK, back off a bit, tj. What are you talking about?
In the first episode of "Angel," a young man trots in off the street
complaining of a whanging headache and announcing various things that were
about to happen, and he was announcing them to Angel, specifically, because
Angel was meant to do something about it. He was identified as their
champion and set loose to wreak some good upon the world.
Fast forward three seasons, and at a moment when this champion is about to take
a swim, the Powers are somehow more interested in recruiting.
Roiiiiiight.
Alternatively ...
There's a conduit between the Powers and Cordy, right? I mean, that's
essentially how Lorne described it once. And we know that it can be hijacked
and comandeered elsewise because it happened in "That Vision Thing."
I imagine then that the conduit can also be blocked somehow, probably by
something who knows how the Powers work, maybe by something that was a Power
once herself, perhaps, until she got tossed out on her maggoty can for being an
Evil. Lying. Sack.
But she's not able to affect this dimension in any way as yet. She needs a
conduit. She needs an accomplice who walks the higher dimensions, who can bend
perceptions of reality, who ... hey! It's Skip!
The translation of Cordy into a Higher Being during her vision thrall is
probably doable. She becomes her spirit form and goes floating off into a
bubble world where her form can be hijacked by G-d-only-knows what other grabby
spirit beings might be lurking about.
Maggoty Ann certainly takes her time with that because that is clearly still
Cordy up there in the first few eppies of S4.
But there's just so much going on in this eppy otherwise. Connor hatches his
evil scheme and -- OK, who had the money to hire the boat and construct the
Pavayne box? Holtz? Did his investments pay off so big in the couple weeks he
was gone? Connor? Angel's planning to give him an allowance of 50 cents a week.
And Justine? When has she ever had any disposable income?
Never mind -- it's just one of those wonderful things that happens when you
have a boat wrangler on staff.
Connor's burial of Holtz parallels Wesley's disposal of Lilah. And I've gotta
say, I have such high hopes for those crazy kids.
Lilah:
"I'm not one of the soft little girls of Angel Investigations. Don't be
thinking about me when I'm gone."
Wesley:
"I wasn't thinking about you when you were here."
Oh, snap.
This was a very cool way to keep Wesley in the storyline. Sleeping with Lilah
is a pretty good indicator of how dark we need to believe he is when he shows
up in "Deep Down" with Justine chained up in the closet. Nice arc.
And Fred and Gunn were the afterthoughts they needed to be in this episode --
forced intimacy and a decent projection to what's about to happen in
"Supersymmetry."
One side note (while I'm on side notes): I thought Connor watching a movie was
cool, and wished worse for Linwood and Gavin.
Oh, speaking of side notes: Bye, Groo! Well, with one exception. I loved the
intercut editing between poor Lorne's conversation with Angel and Groo's
conversation with Fred and Gunn.
Yes, Angel and Cordy love each other, they're rushing to meet each other, how
could this possibly end badly ...
Oh yes. Connor arrives with a taser and Cordy's too distracted by shiny things
to go help.
This episode, appropriately, was an absolute rollercoaster -- ups and downs,
especially at the end. Excellent manipulation of the emotions by an
acknowledged master of that sort of thing.
Thank you, Joss.
"Where did everybody go?"
Oh ... and here we are.
Season 4.
MU-WHA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!
Mine is an ee-vil laugh.