Somnambulist saw the return of (woo-hooo!! Fervent applause! Rahh rah rahhh!!) – Angsty Angel. He was brooding, he was guilt-stricken, he was writhing in tortured internal conflict. Sigh! And he looked so DAMN FINE! His wardrobe this episode was excellent: black + leather = drool fest. I think he may finally have redeemed that flat-head soldier look in “Hero”.
Of particular happiness, this episode was consistent with the producers’ visions of a “darker, more adult” counterpart to BtVS. Although it had its great moments of comic relief, Somnambulist was drawn in a serious vein, with the tense edge-of-your-seat mood that is testament to a good screenplay.
Characterisation-wise, I found this to be an appropriate follow on from G2 for Angel. Heck, I just wanna scrap all the crappy episodes after City of, and start here! For instance: Angel deals with his demon desire factor: the Buffy-suckage experience would have left him in shreds, and yet there has been no hint of that theme until now. I hope the writers have finally come to their senses and realised the importance of acknowledging the duality of Angel’s character, so that (please, please!) we’ll be seeing more of this issue in episodes to come.
Although it was what I wanted to hear, Kate’s description of the criminal (cue Angel walking down the streets) and his recent break-up was stretching the limits of hypothetical profile credibility. Still, can’t complain about seeing angst man mistaking a (totally unbelievable) un-Buffy for his dearest love.
Speaking of Kate. I really don’t perceive her as a threat to the Angel-Buffy thing. I guess that’s cuz Kate’s just so… pathetic. And I even mean that in a non-clawing way. I mean really, this woman so openly drools over Angel, it’s shameful. That said, Angel equally as obviously has no eyes for Kate; he considers her a valuable ally and a sometimes damsel in distress.
A few parallels to the BtVS season one episode “Angel”. For starters, Angel burning his hand on Kate’s (over- evidently displayed) cross necklace – very like the chest burn he endured when saying goodbye to Buffy on the dance floor. Also, Kate’s reaction to Angel's revelation was hostile in a similar way to Buffy’s – ie. They both planned on killing him!
Was it just me, or did anyone else not feel any sexual tension between Kate and Angel at all? Even when she was all mad at him, it was more like an ally-betrayal than a lover one. Wishful thinking aside, it is so clear that Angel has no feelings for Kate. So get over it gurl.
The writers have gone the wrong way characterisation wise for a new love interest for Angel. He needs someone self-assured, someone who’s in the know about the demon world, who is sexually charged yet emotionally detached – a distinct contrast from the pure, loving relationship he shared with Buffy. Fingers crossed for “She”!
Random thoughts:
Why the heck did Angel never have a single friggin stake on him when he faced Penn?! Geez, he did the fight initiating and all, you’d think he’d have learnt to have a few tricks up his sleeve by now! But then I guess we wouldn’t have enjoyed those slick fight scenes otherwise.
Speaking of, woah! That Penn guy sho' could move! How come Angel never speedy gonzales like that? Is it because he's been out of the evil scene for too long? Humph.
The last scene was lovely. Angel doing deep thinking. Cordelia’s words of comfort, even thought they failed to calm his self-doubts. These guys have a wonderful relationship.
I kinda miss Doyle. But only kinda. Wesley’s good for now, but I can see myself getting very annoyed with him in weeks to come…
Overall, a big, enthusiastic YAY!!! Please, please let this be the beginning of more angel-y goodness!!!…
Yay!…yeah!… woo-hoo!….
Thank you lord! - finally an episode through which I didn’t have to sit in a continual groan. This was almost actually really good. A whopping 3.5 stakes. But note now that the gradings for Angel cannot be compared with those for Buffy. BtVS is totally of a higher standard, and a 3.5 for that show is in the context of the rest of the episodes in that series. I’ve gotten used to disappointment with Angel so I’m afraid that I’ll end up marking it more leniently out of sheer hope or relief, as tonight.
Most of all, this episode succeeded because it revealed to us insight into our Dark Avenger. FINALLY! At last we got those long ago promised flashbacks into Angel’s past that were supposed to be a recurring theme in the series. And finally, the writers are confronting the inner battle that Angel faces against the demon instincts within. Yay!!
In addition, we learnt more about Brood guy’s evil past. He’s improved a little with the Irish accent, but then y’know that I’m always a sucker for anything Angelus. In fact, I’m kinda bummed that Angel didn’t fake evilness when he came face to face with his psycho ex-apprentice Penn, as he did in School Hard with Spike. It would have been cool seeing him do the demon role again, even for a moment. The flashbacks could have been done with a little more finesse, but at this point, I’m afraid to criticise in case I jinx things.
Oh! Have to sigh again about how beautifully black and broody Angel was looking this hour!
