The very short calm before the very
big storm
I've decided I don't care about the physics. The writers did just fine, with
one or two egregious errors it is impossible to entirely overlook, or forgive.
First and foremost, however, let's truck out our Jasmine Watch, sponsored by
Seiko, and take a little look-see under Cordy's hood, since she already gave us
one with that cleave-tastic top.
The progression to Jasmine is not complete, nor is it a steady rate of growth.
This is good. It suggests that Cordy is still in there, that she may actually
be trying to overcome whatever demonic possession she's facing.
Sadly, her instincts are to remain in retreat, to face this time of uncertainty
alone with Connor, who, by the end of the episode, can't get his head around
her wanting to go to Angel any more than Angel can get his head around her
wanting to go to Connor.
Actually, a lot of the rest of us may be right there with him on that.
But between that "nesting" thing she was doing, reveling in her fuzzy
slippers, repelling Connor's deeply inappropriate advances (she's sick, for
crying out loud -- let her get completely possessed before you shag her)
and heading back to Team Angel for some answers, I think what we saw was
between 60 and 70 percent Cordy.
Her fighting was a little off. And ... since when is sparring with Cordy the
same as romancing her? Angel did that whole "training session" thing
with her too and ... fighting a vampire in a sewer ...
... incidentally, is there a rent-a-vamp service in L.A.? There's always one
around when there needs to be. ...
... so not the same as an expensive meal and night on the town.
But I digress.
The important thing we need to be looking at in this episode is Gunn's feelings
for Fred and Fred's feelings for Gunn. Apart from the technical definition the
title of this episode has in Superstring (M) Theory, that is a significant
aspect of the story.
Let's just build up to that.
Fred has been busy. She's gotten her head around a significant mathematical
concept whereby all reality can be expressed in the non-collapsivity of string
compactification. Dynamical.
Well, however she wants to express it, it's gotten published. And it's the most
radical concept ever.
We must have ... missed Ed Witten's presentation. And no chance of Brian Greene
ascending that stage -- y'know, after that.
Among physics geeks, those two are the gods of rock. So that half-heartedly
filled lecture bowl was unconvincing, unless they already knew that Witten and
Greene wouldn't lecture anywhere that Oliver Seidel was teaching, that their
scheduled lectures were joke listings and that Stephen Hawking himself didn't
even bother to participate in the psych-out.
The only fresh meat on the docket was Fred, who's finally back in her element.
She's tough, she's presenting, they're responding -- the self-effacement would
have to stop shortly -- but she was doing this!
And then, just as the verbiage started getting away from the writers (why, oh
why, oh why was there no commentary on this episode?) a monster appears.
Wesley for some reason hesitates while Angel and Gunn leap forward, and Lilah
slinks away.
But 'scuse me while I kiss this guy:
Dr. OLIVER SEIDEL
Pity poor Dr. Oliver Seidel. Unremarkable in his own studies, he somehow still
manages to recognize -- and somehow to cultivate greatness, and then, because
it must never outshine him, to destroy it.
But everyone in his world is brighter than him (except for the tottie in the
lab coat -- rowr!) And except for this bit where he can send people to
other dimensions and summon demons to do his fighting for him.
... and let's have a warm round of applause for that middle-school girl’s grimoire,
everyone....
So Fred could've been reading any book in the library when Ollie dropped
the portal? He opened a portal at a distance at Wesley's, he opened the one
above with the monster -- he was a portal-opening fool!
And having done this, he earned whatever happened to him -- even if she would
never have come up with her string compactification theory without his sending
her through.
WINIFRED BURKLE
When she was rescued from the monster, the expression on her face was perfect.
Sheer, mad-making terror. She stumbled home and tried to make it through the
night but she couldn't sleep. And when she realized what had happened, what had
been done to her, she went as dark as we've seen her since "Deep
Down." He's done this before. He's done this to her. He's an
untraceable mass murderer who the law could never touch and no jury could ever
convict.
And Gunn and Angel try to ... talk her out of it?
That is one of the unforgivable errors. They can't think she's kidding. And
they can't deny they were planning to do something themselves. And boy has he
earned it.
Five years in a hell dimension later, the girl has earned her pound of flesh.
Let her take it! Let the disappearances of top physics students stop! Let this
jerk be dropped down his own portal! How is that not justice? He's a scientist,
send him exploring a politically unstable hell dimension in the middle
of a Dance of Revolution.
Why break his neck, Gunn? Why even interfere? That's such loping artifice on
the part of whoever wrote this.
The truth is, Fred would've slept just fine having banished him from this
dimension. Hell, you never know -- he might escape someday. And if he doesn't,
well, how many cows haven't quite made it over the years?
Gunn, however, has never killed a human (maybe -- I'm not entirely sure, but I
don't think he has). But again, there's no reason for Fred to be that upset
with him. It was her portal the body was disposed into, after all. And justice
was done, at least on some level.
So everyone's all upset at the end of this and there's no really good reason
for them to be.
Oh, the unforgivable thing?
The truly unforgiveable?
Fred's backstory. She wasn't a history major when she drove up that long and
dusty road in "Shells," filmed maybe 1½ seasons removed from this.
When something that bonehead sneaks into the backstory of a major character I'm
deeply irritated by it.
And I personally believe the Feigenbaum scene, so it was one more thing for
this writer to be wrong about.
Like when Angel goes redecorating with his mind. Yeah. Roiiiiiiight.
IN SUMMARY
-- "Supersymmetry" was a wonderful emotional showcase for Amy Acker.
She did an astonishing job and pronounced everything correctly.
-- And hey, shirtless Gunn. The scene where he's comforting Fred in bed,
looming protectively about her and looking twice as large as life, that scene
was art.
-- And while it was never going to work for Joss to try to explain hell
dimensions with String Theory, it was a nice attempt.
But I just ... I can't be satisfied with this episode.
-- I wish the story held within its own logical construct, which with the order
of speakers it simply didn't.
-- I wish the story held within the arc of the show, which it sort of didn't. I
mean -- what was that helmet Lilah gave Wes? I'm not certain it ever comes up again.
Why not give him something useful?
-- Why didn't Angel bite Lilah? This is at least the third member of Team Angel
she's attacked personally and in cold blood (as far as he knows). Why leave her
out there walking around? Or better still – sire her, and let her be truly
badass.
There was something ... off about this ep. Don't know what it was.
People getting upset about stuff they shouldn't logically get upset about,
people acting contrary to character, people just ...
... I didn't want to leave motives as unexplored as I have, but I'm finding
them ... very hard to read in this episode.
So, having just stared at it for five hours, I'm afraid I owe everyone an
apology.
This is the best I can come up with on this.
Sorry.
Loose the weirdness.