The one with
the cumbersome, unwieldly name.
It feels like Joss just gave up with this one.
We know it isn't true, and we know the best is yet to come, but in this case,
Angel disregarding the Shanshu with no immediate reasoning as to why (Spike's
suggestion that it's a fairytale to keep vampires from misbehaving is
ludicrous) is very disappointing.
Since the prophecy was discovered in Season 1, this is a series arc question,
and one which has been clumsily resurrected within the last couple of episodes.
The Shanshu has been referenced in "Birthday" (the evil that rose in
Reseda in 2003) and throughout Season 4. Part of why Season 4 was so
ridiculous was that they tried to cram all the Shanshu events into the single
season, which was why The Beast/Beastmaster/Jasmine was so impossibly
unreadable and why the storylines seemed to make no sense whatsoever. The
vampire with a soul will face the coming darkness, the Beast, several -- not
that many -- fiends and then that thing in Reseda, and that was pretty much it.
Sirk's discussion in "Destiny" adds vast swaths of over-detailed
requirements, but in the end, in "Not Fade Away," Angel is meant to
sign it all away anyway -- that same scribbly, somewhat damaged and, I believe,
highlighted document that they gave him.
The one that came up so neatly in the source book at the end.
Wait a minute. Are we talking about the same episode? El Diablo Robotico, luchadores,
Tetzlewetzleweezerwhatever and slain heroes come back to life? Wasn't that what
this episode was about?
No. Jeff Bell wanted Mexican wrestlers. There was a Day of the Dead theme
running throughout, yes, but the point of this episode is that Angel has given
up.
Was it Angel or Joss?
It's ... really hard to know.
This episode -- the worst in the series IMO -- was a 42-minute discussion of
who's a hero, and who's truly doing heroic things. It was never resolved, but
the fact is that quite apart from his day job, Angel does walk the
streets by night, slaying demons and helping the hopeless, like his forerunners
Los Hermanos Numeros. The cautionary tale in this case is you can never give
up, and never lose sight of the fact that the good you do is of some
benefit to someone, even if the evil you can't quite vanquish keeps popping up
like a bad burrito.
Well, freeqin' yawn. Angel's worried that Tetzecuatl didn't take his heart, but
... OK, some evil demon doesn't think you're sufficiently heroic to
murder you and steal your heart. What kind of a standard is that to base
your self-worth on?
Anyway, Tetty should've taken it. Angel can live for awhile without his
heart (see "Heartthrob") and that would've made for a better story.
No.5 calling it a dried-up walnut of a thing, Gunn calling it a hunk of beef
jerky, it's still the heart of a hero, which if anyone was worried, didn't need
to be eaten by the Tetrisol.
Oh, and the side discussion -- Spike becoming interested in in the Shanshu
doesn't make him eligible. Just because Wesley says "Any vampire
with a soul (who's not a ghost)," that's not quite accurate. Any
vampire with a soul who faced all of these things and met all of these
requirements (and not just the Mountain Dew ones made up by Sirk).
I recognize Wes necessarily has no recollection of Connor or S4, but the rest
of us do and certainly Joss and Jeff Bell should, too.
As an aside, I just mention that I like the fact Wes has a staff. The woman on
his staff looks like she was once one of the psychics (she had different hair
-- very different hair, I think, but I didn't get a good look at her.)
At least he's getting some help.
This episode felt cobbled together. There's a big bad and there's a thing with a
thing, and Fred's in the lab analyzing demon blood (which is ultimately of
little help) and Wes is looking at Mayan pictograms and Gunn is researching
demon contracts (which was of a little value) and Spike is annoying
everyone.
And so's Lorne. After all his work last week, he's back to prattling to anyone
(why engage No.5 in a discussion of how least to break an aging
starlet's heart -- Fred's suggestion was perfect, btw) about any damn thing. If
anyone needs a staff, it's clearly Lorne. Bouncing ideas off random people one
passes in the hall in an evil law firm isn't the absolute best decision-making
strategy.
No.5 tossing Angel through a wall was just dumb. Yep, it's unexpected, yep,
it's fun and yep, it's eyecatching, but it's meaningless. And Angel tossing him
across his apartment was over the top.
Also, W&H had "Attorney's at Law" on their calling cards (the
extra apostrophe is for savings!) OK, who's fired?
And despite the discussion of honor, tradition and heroism, this episode felt a
little pander-y to me. Maybe it genuinely wasn't. But it felt kind of indulgent
and silly and .. I get it, but, well, rudderless and ultimately unnecessary.
Angel's a hero. Spike's a hero for saving Fred and for standing there and
saving the world, but he didn't face everything Angel's faced, so he's not
qualified for the Shoop.
Everyone's a gorram hero.
Now give me my 42 minutes back.
GUNN WATCH: He enjoyed mixing it up out in the field (in his suit), but he's
getting very comfortable with the whole legal eagle thing. He's using it to the
Team’s advantage, at least, so that's something. I got no whiff of corruption
on him at all as yet.
The POWERS that SIT THERE: * sip *