I have learned in other commentary
that Joss wanted this season to be big and huge and operatic.
With a huge emphasis, then, on the "erratic."
There are two points in this episode that may as well run back to back because
no 40-minute interlude is going to matter:
1) Cordy answers her own question: She and Angel were in love. And they can't
be together because she's too weirded out by what she saw when she was living
his life, both as Angel and as Angelus.
OOO! A time portal!
Let us dive back to "Deep Down," in which we see Cordy and she says
"I am so bored."
What, of reading everyone who's ever lived and remembering everything there is
to know about them? Or are you just bored.
Whoops! Fast forward to the end of "Ground State," in which she says
"Are you deficient? Get me out of here!"
Where, theoretically, if she had all of that powerful insight, she'd see
exactly what's going on and wouldn't even have to ask.
* rejoins everyone else in the present * Well, those were certainly some
fun and interesting products. Let's all think really hard about buying those.
Cordy remembers that she loved Angel, and in the most manipulative way imaginable,
shrugs it to the side.
Angel knows full well what it means to know everything he knows. And Cordy's
already hinting that he doesn't even know everything he knows. And she's off on
a beeline to Connor.
2) Cord sleeps with Connor.
Y'see, that's what he can't get his head around. Feelings for him, no feelings,
fine, whatever. But that's his boy you're climbing all over (apocalyptic
rain of fire or no -- I mean really, apocalypse -- we've all been there, am I right, people?) and tell me
her heart's not being a little hard to read right now.
In fact ...
Well, loathe as I am to cast aspersions, I believe Cordy so regularly begins
behaving peculiarly and keeping her own counsel and manipulating the heck out
of everyone that -- yep, I've got my AspersoCaster 3000 loaded and aimed and
I'm firing it at Cordy.
She's ... if not completely Jasmine, she is under one heck of a thrall.
And her misdirection played really well to the audience. She’s playing a lot of
it subrosa, but there's no denying those hips working Connor under that
blanket.
And I barely mentioned the Beast at all. In a show with as many creatures as
this one has, you've seen a lot and you get jaded. And that is one powerful
rock monster. But one of the first things that happened to him was his horns
jiggled. And he's not nearly so snarky as Glory. I find big unstoppable
unkillable things to be boring because they can't be addressed. If you can't be
addressed, you've essentially showed up as a gigantic plot stone and until
someone finds a way to flush you, I'm not impressed.
So yes, strong installment. A little more conversation with Gunn and Fred,
though not much and certainly not enough. And Wes comes back -- very nice. And
great fight sequence.
But 1) and 2) are some unyielding images, and if I was Angel, I'd be seriously
ticked off as well.
JASMINE WATCH: You're kidding me, right? Oy, what a thrall.