S4.E22: Home

[Joe Hellandback]

HOME

The Good; Love the way that when Lilah moves at first she seems awkward, as though she's getting used to using her body again.There is just something endlessly, savagely beautiful about a black panther. Love Fred and Lorne dancing. Great fight between Connor and Angel and lovely ending.

The Bad; Fred's submachine-gun is obviously fake, she totes it around like it weighs nothing because of course it's actually just a hollow shell. You can see that the cops besieging Connor in the sports store aren't LAPD, in fact you can see the word 'Boston' written on the side of their vehicles. Wes and Lilah never get the chance to say goodbye?

Best line; Lilah; (of Wes trying and failing to burn her contract) "But it means something that you tried" (how BEAUTIFULLY does Stephanie deliver this line?)

Jeez, how did they get away with that? Connor pummelling the cop into unconsciousness is nasty although given what Connor's going to do next maybe he should think himself lucky he just got a few bumps. The terrified hostages at the sports shop are hard to watch as is Angel putting the knife in Connor and even more viciously yanking it out again. Lilah is in hell and despite all of Wes' efforts she's going to remain there. So sad, she had her chance at redemption and she blew it.

Apocalypses: 5

Angel Clichés Inverting the Hollywood cliché; Despite being nonchalant about all that WR&H have offered him Angel is hugely excited about his big TV

Fang gang knocked out: no but Connor beats the suicidal cop unconscious Cordy: 15 Angel: 17 Wes: 7 Doyle; 1 Gunn; 2 Lorne; 6 Groo; 1 Connor; 1 Faith; 1 Fred; 2

Kills; unless someone can correct me the only ep of Angel ever when not only does no one die but no one even kills anyone/anything? Cordy: 5 vamps, 3 demons Angel; 44 vamps, 59 and 1/2 demons, 5 zombies, 8 humans Doyle; 1 vamp Wes; 14 demons+5 vamps, 5 zombies, 2 humans Kate; 3 vamps Faith; 18 vamps, 6 demons, 3 humans. Gunn; 11 vamps+ 13 demons, 5 zombies, 1 human. Groo; 1 demon Fred; 3 vamps+ 2 demon, 5 zombies Connor; 16 vamps, 5 zombies, 2 demons, Jasmine

Packing heat; Fred with her submachine-gun. WR&H seem to have invested in a lot heavier weapons for their new security force, maybe to stop something like The Beast ever happening again? Wes; 8 Doyle; 1 Angel; 3 Gunn; 2 Fred; 2

Kinky dinky: How gorgeous is Gunn's guide, Lacey? Knox tells Fred that WR&H have a dungeon. For prisoners or for S&M shenanigans? Lilah wants Angel to strip in front of her.

Captain Subtext; It's a small moment but when Lilah refers to 'My Wesley' it just speaks volumes. Nice to know that when the chips are down the way to prove yourself to the girl you love is to cut her head off!

Know the face, different character; 5 Jonathon Woodward who plays Knox here was Holden Webster in the Buffy ep 'Conversations with Dead People'.

Missing scenes; If this ep was 9/10 minutes over why can't we get Special Edition Angel DVDs with such footage restored?

Questions and observations; The last we'll see of Lilah and that is SUCH a shame, Stephanie Romanov has been one of the best things in the series for the last four years. I'd love to see her in the comics (the female boss of the Dollhouse owes much to her, right down to her look). Who's the girl in the picture on the wall behind Wes in his office? WR&H's office now resembles a shopping mall. So is Sirk a genuine defector or a plant from the Watcher's council? 

Spoiler

Twilight? The Lineage ninjas?

Wes has heard of the destruction of the Watcher's Council but probably been too busy to worry about it. Angel knows that Buffy will prevail against evil no matter what the odds. Presumably Gunn taught Connor how to make bombs during the last summer? Angel quite obviously gets the idea for Connor's retrofit from Dawn's origin on Buffy. Wouldn't you love to see Connor get together with Dawn? They have so much in common and it would be cool to see what their kids turn out like? Unless anyone can correct me we'll never see the Hyperion again either. Seigfreid and Roy are referenced, do they own the panther?

WR&H give the amulet to Angel. Now, are they doing this purely to thwart The First's plans or are they now aware that there is a SECOND vampire with a soul and that he might be the one that the prophecies speak off?

Spoiler

Is this intended to gain control of Spike but Lindey get's there first? Speaking of whom in Dead End Lindsey warns Angel not to play WR&H's game. For good or ill here he ignores that advice and does exactly that.

Marks out of 10; 10/10, not so much a season ending but a pilot for the new series, a complete reboot. That said if Angel had ended here I'd be disappointed but it would still be a good ending.

[Spartan Girl]

42 minutes ago, Joe Hellandback said:

"But it means something that you tried" (how BEAUTIFULLY does Stephanie deliver this line?)

I loved that moment too. As much as I hate Wesley, I gotta give him credit for the effort.

Angel's sacrifice for Connor was heartbreaking.