Dana's Reaction (to reviews, before watching the episode)
I thought I'd post this up before my actual review just so you can see how completely my attitude has changed since the break between seasons, and to illustrate how imagination can be so overwhelmingly better than reality.
AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! OH MY G O D!!!!! After much internal conflict, I succumbed to the temptation of reading HOTSlayer's reviews for Pangs and I will Remember You.
AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! SCREAM SCREAM SCREAM. Heart thumping faster than humanly healthy. Breath running out. Pausing to calm.
AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
I can't believe he turns *human*! That's like every happyfic writer's dream come true! Oh, many a time I would pass by the happyfics of the Buffy cyberverse, rolling my eyes at the unrealism of some writers who persisted in dreaming of a human Angel. Never in a million years did I think it would actually happen!! And everything in such a perfect way! The Anne beach scene was realised, huh? And the kitchen table?!! Roar, Angel! ;0> That sounds *so* incredibly beautiful and sweet, the scene where Angel sees his reflection. Oh, I love you honey. Oh my god, I saw a pic of them in bed together, and - falling off my chair, Wow! OK, I take it back, I *do* want them together. Oh my god, I can't believe Joss actually gave that to us!
Only to rip it away from us, I know. At first when I realised that, I was like, kill Joss, kill Joss, kill Joss. But then the tragic dramatic in me intervened ;0> I know I know, you're thinking here we go. And right you are ;0> I know you won't agree with me, but I'm going to make myself feel better here anyway. Look, if they did stay together with him as a human, having their happy little lives with perhaps the occasional ripple, then - boring! It would be early season two revisited, barf. This way is so much better! The angst, the helplessness, the tragedy. Sigh. My only concern is that I guess this means no more Buffy and Angel together ever. Joss has given us everything we ever wanted. Now he's going to have what he wants.
Cheer up! ;0>
Dana's Actual Review
This is what I felt after finally watching the episode for the first time *quite* a change in attitude!
That was it? After months of excited anticipation, that was it? I think I might as well hang up my “Yay B-A” sweater now.
Perhaps it was the fact that I knew what was going to happen; perhaps it was because I was expecting too much; perhaps I was setting myself up for disappointment. Perhaps. But despite all that, the feeling that I had throughout this episode was an undeniable: hmmmm. Something was just wrong - and although I'm not sure I’m able to pinpoint what, I know for certain that this wasn’t Buffy/Angel at its greatest. Indeed, it wasn’t really Buffy and Angel at all. Ahhh - what has happened to this show?!
I think the key problem is Angel. It’s as though he disappeared into the mist at the end of G2 and just never returned. The Angel show as a whole pretty much sucks big time, and I was sorry to see that even Buffy’s presence couldn’t save the day. For my thoughts on the bads of the show, go here.
As far as I can make out, the reason that Angel is no longer himself is because he has lost that incredible Mystery that used to be so alluring. Whereas in BtVS he would appear for a few glorious seconds out of the shadows, sear us with those sensual brooding eyes, and then vanish into the darkness again, he now is the main focus. We see him 24-7, and worst of all, we see him in sunlight. He laughs, he jokes, he wears Hawaiian shirts. It is not our Angel. So it was not our Buffy and Angel. Does any of this make sense?
I had thought the reason for this transformation in personality was the Buffy lackage, but now even that avenue of hope is blocked off. It maybe a shift in David Boreanaz’s acting style, it may be the script, but Angel has officially and probably forever, lost his angst. I thought seeing Buffy again would have reminded Angel of the painful past, and kicked him back crawling into the shadows, but there he was as usual, strutting about in the sun. His words are no longer soft and clouded, but short and clear. His gestures are no more timid and withdrawn, but assured and sharp. What has happened to him?!?!! I don’t even think that the wishful fanfic out there can undo the damage that has been done to Angel. He is lost.
I could go on about this forever but – well, that’s such a hackneyed phrase anyway. Moving on to my other biggest rant about the episode: IT WENT BY TOO DAMN FAST!!!!! The writers tried to cram WAY TOO MUCH stuff into that MEASELY 40 MINUTES, and by so doing, wasted a potentially amazing storyline. Or maybe they’ve just lost their edge altogether: Becoming 2 was jam-packed with happenings, but it rolled on fabulously; IWRY on the other hand, kinda just jerked and sputtered its way through, not knowing how it was going to get to its inevitable destination.
That said, perhaps it would have been better if this storyline had taken place in Sunnydale. Perhaps then the old Angel would have been revived, and the Buffy/Angel dynamic could have been restored. As it was, things just didn’t seem to ‘click’ well against the tacky, cramped backdrops of the Agency and fake sewers. And that flashy-image device between scene changes is REALLY ANNOYING! That and Doyle’s visions use a home-video effect which really shoots out ickness and completely destroys the credibility factor. Plus – what was with those ninja turtle wannabe demons?! Geez, the WB really needs to up their budget if this is the sort of tack they can afford for wardrobe!
OK, OK, I can give compliments too believe it or not, so here goes:
Can’t touch this scene: B and A fallen on floor, severe sexual tension and connotative positioning pose – WOO-HOO!!! Now this is B/A-ness as we know it! (Revelations, Lovers Walk...) The discomfort, the desire…!
The Prom Déjà vu Sewer Scene: Even the clothes were the same-ish! (Unfortunately, Angel was not – but we won’t go there…) Not the absolute most fantastic B/A tension we’ve had, but damn good enough after this famine. Loved the metaphorical ‘Angel can’t touch Buffy cuz she’s in sunlight’ bit.
The KISS: WOAH MUMMA!!!! My God, was that Angel being Mr Suave and sexy?!! Ok, officially the best B/A kiss ( - errr, after the one in IOHEFY…)
The Kitchen Extravaganza: Good acting SMG – I thought Buffy’s disappointed/resentful routine was spot on – and Angel was even bordering on angsty, yay! I thought the portrayal of their age/maturity difference was evident in this interaction, and I'm glad the writers acknowledged that. They could’ve done so much more with the climatic succumbing to yearning bit though: where’s the crescendoing music when you need it? B/A scenes have always been so musically polished in the past. (IOHEFY, B2, G2,…)
B/A fight Ugly Evil guy scene: Woah, violent: even the Buffyster was getting knocked around a bit. Angel to the rescue of course though – she’s on HIS show now, he’s the hero nowadays! Her comforting hem… anyone else get flashbacks to the end of WML2? Sigh.
I’ll Never Forget Scene: This is the one that truly lifted this episode. Very parallel to the Becoming 2 Goodbye, but of course not as powerful. Still, this was darn beautiful. Again, a better build up in terms of more time, would have made it a lot more effective, but nevertheless, it was pure B/A angst. For a moment there, we even had our Angel back. Ultimate aawww has to be his expression when he’s hugging Buffy as she whispers “I’ll never forget” over and over. Sigh!
The Day that never Happened not Happening Scene: Well, Angel seemed to jump back into the swing of things pretty well. Could have been a bit more tormented, but I can deal. Finally, Buffy is the one who gets to walk out on him! ;0> What did she mean by letting enough time pass before they see each other again? Does that mean that by the end of this season when they have their next corss-over, she’ll be completely over him? (And under Riley, grrr….)
OH MY LORD!!!! I didn't know it was that AMAZINGLY FANTASTIC!!!!! WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!! OK, I've worn out the capslock and exclamation mark keys on the keyboard, so I'm just going to breathe for a bit.
In truth, the main reason I'm so happy that Angel had that episode of happiness is because I adore *him* so much. And if he is happiest with Buffy, well long live them together. Her presence highlights the qualities we love most about Angel: his devotion, his role as protector, lover and advisor, and his reverence of touch. You know I'm not too crash hot on Buffy. In fact, my disregard has been somewhat exacerbated by the fact that she didn't remember a damn thing, and was so harsh to poor darling tormented Angel. I guess she's still too inexperienced in love to know who lucky she is to have someone like Angel who is so totally in adoration of her. But like Neesh, I do live in hope that, at the end of the book, they will live (or die ;0>) happily ever after. But the story's not finished yet.
Bed & Breakfast Scene: Great stuff here, but no overly OH MY GOD, WOO-HOO things to scream about. The licking bit was happy-worthy of course – wonder how many takes they did of that, hehehe. ;0>
OK, Buffy has GOTTA get over this normal girl, normal boyfriend issue of hers cuz it’s OFFICIALLY HACKING ME OFF!!! Argh! Do your not understand the concepts that:
a) You’ll never be normal, you’ve said so yourself, so just get over it and be thankful for what you’ve got
b) Normal = boring. Can you not realise how fantastic your life is because it’s so unique and exciting. As you acknowledged in Helpless, you are the Slayer – anything less and you’d be lost.
c) Do not, don’t EVER, call Angel your ‘boyfriend’. For one thing, the man is 245 years old, for another, he’s much too special for such a commonplace title. ARGH!!!
Hmmm. This was definitely one of the better Angel episodes we’ve had, but that’s not saying much really, huh? In all honesty, this didn’t seem to me to be Buffy and Angel, but rather two different people trying to recapture the Sarah Maclachlan magic that floated away with the mist and the end of last season. In a way, I wish this episode had never bee, because it has affirmed my fears: the Buffy and Angel thing is over, there is not way back now. Although some B/A fans out there are of the firm opinion that this was not a goodbye, I think it was. No, not in the sense of an end to Buffy and Angel as allies, but as a goodbye between them as lovers – a goodbye to the past. Although she “will never forget,” she is going to move on – and so will he. And judging from this episode, perhaps that is for the best.
